Given the debate and focus on Australia’s rapidly ageing population, you could be forgiven for thinking retirement communities would be a priority. 

But fresh research from the Retirement Living Council and Urbis says retirement villages take 365 days on average to be assessed by councils, with 67 per cent taking more than 12 months to receive a determination—and 23 per cent take more than two years. 

In comparison, for one state at least, residential applications are about 100 days.