Blog

Loneliness. It’s one of the toughest things facing residents building in a new community.

Many arrive from other towns, other states, overseas. They often don’t know anyone. Naturally, they’re anxious to make friends with their new neighbours, for themselves and for their children. But it’s not always easy in the greenfields, especially if community infrastructure is not in place.

Social isolation like this can lead to loneliness, which government figures show is running at higher than one in six people across Australia. That’s a numbing 16 per cent.

It is an alarming statistic because international studies suggest loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It is also predictive of early death than the effects of air pollution or physical inactivity.

All of which is why Villawood Properties Resident Clubs are such an important feature of its award-winning new greenfields communities.

Villawood’s Residents Clubs provide facilities for people to meet up and build the new friendships they want and need.

These clubs are high-end, top architect-designed, resort-style facilities. They’re ready-made community hubs with a host of facilities that include gyms, swimming pools, cafes, multi-purpose sports courts, family and function spaces.

The clubs also host community events, and encourage self-starting clubs like cycling, walking and social groups.

The clubs are all about getting people connected and helping build sustainable communities. We deliver them early in the life of our new communities, long before anything that might be provided by government.

The other side of Villawood’s Residents Clubs is their role in sustainability.

Sustainability in a new community is not just about water and energy.

They’re very important factors, and Villawood takes them seriously, but community and a sense of happiness are the real measures of sustainability.

People can live somewhere and save lots of water and energy but, if they’re not actually happy living there, they don’t have a sustainable future.

In the past, people connected readily through church groups, scout halls, sporting groups. Many of these are out of vogue nowadays, so we need a new means of bringing people together.

Villawood clubs bring back the old scout hall and dance hall concept: somewhere people can meet up with others and build their community.

Sunbury will host two Villawood Residents Clubs, one each at our Redstone and Kimberley communities.

The bottom line: There’s no need to be lonely at Villawood.

Check out our new Club Redstone, about to start construction at Sunbury: https://villawoodproperties.com.au/community/redstone/about/club-redstone/