THE controversial retirement village built on the site of the demolished Swanbourne Hotel has been taken off the market after failing to attract the interest of the local aged community.
The $20 million St Quentins development attracted considerable attention as a result of the hotel’s Art Deco design and National Trust listing at the time of demolition.
However, heritage advocates failed in their bid to block the demolition of the hotel.
The 54-apartment development, designed by local architects John Silbert & Associates, is owned and managed by Sydney-based Arton Retirement Villages.
Arton manager Paul Vrisakis claimed there had been substantial interest in the Swanbourne village, but suggested the timing of the development had not been suited to market conditions.
“We’ve decided to reassess what we’re doing, but we’ve had approaches from a number of national retirement groups.”
Arton manages more than 500 retirement units around Australia.
The complex was designed to include a hydrotherapy pool, a medical consulting room and a hairdressing salon.
The two and three-bedroom luxury apartments were priced between $320,000 and $420,000.
Local agency Bignell Real Estate has been handling sales but its sign has been removed from the site and Arton is still undecided as to whether a local agent will be appointed in the future.
Mr Vrisakis confirmed that Bignell Real Estate no longer was representing St Quentins, however he said there were a number of offers on the table for both management of the development and total buyouts.
When the development was under construction it was reported that Arton became involved in the St Quentins retirement village in response to the overwhelming demand for high quality retirement housing in the western suburbs or Perth. The Federation-style development on the corner of Claremont Crescent and Franklin Street was planned to appeal to aged residents within the immediate area.
