An update about the refurbishment at Marco Polo Unanderra

17 November 2025

Dear family member/resident representative,

This is to update you on our plans to refurbish Marco Polo Unanderra, which is being made possible with a grant from the Commonwealth Government’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program.

As you may recall, following development approval in February 2025 we identified opportunities to further enhance our plans and subsequently lodged a DA modification with Wollongong City Council in May 2025. This application remains under review, and we’ll share the outcome once Council’s assessment is complete.

Site establishment and early work from 17 November

While we await Council’s decision on the DA modification, early site establishment works will start on 17 November around the vacant St Lukes and St Johns wings and will continue until late December.

Activities will include:

• installing temporary fencing, signage, and worker amenities
• clearing any remaining obstructions or debris
• safely disconnecting existing services such as electricity and water.

Once this is complete, work will begin on two prototype rooms within the St Lukes and St Johns wings. These early works mark an important step toward construction of Stage 1 of the refurbishment, which is expected to commence in early 2026.

 What to expect

Work will take place between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday. There will be no work on Sunday or public holidays.

During this time, residents and visitors may notice increased activity and some noise on site and around the car park. All work will be closely monitored to minimise any impacts on residents, families, staff, visitors, and the local community.

Car park update

There will be some temporary disruption to the car park during this phase.

To ensure the safety of our residents, family, visitors, and staff:

• a designated parking area will be provided for trade vehicles.
• the remaining spaces will be reserved for staff, family members, visitors, and deliveries.
• emergency vehicles will have priority access.

Traffic in and out of the car park will also increase due to contractor movements.

We have reminded our neighbours that the car park is for Marco Polo Unanderra staff, family members, visitors, deliveries, emergency vehicles, and contractors only.

We are committed to keeping you informed about the refurbishment project and will share more details when they are available.

If you have any questions, please speak to your Care Manager.

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Perry
Operations Manager – Illawarra Aged Care Centres