AUSSIE entrepreneur Sean Howard is set to invest $21.3 million in a new aged-care centre at Wallsend.
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Mr Howard's company, Arton Group, has lodged a development application with Newcastle City Council.
The 102-bed residential aged-care centre is proposed for a site at 149 Newcastle Road.
Arton owns and operates retirement villages and aged-care centres in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland.
Mr Howard said Arton was a Government-licensed approved aged-care provider.
He said the Wallsend site was chosen because of its park-side setting and need for aged-care services.
"At the end of the day I own a few aged-care facilities and I do try to find locations that are a little bit different," Mr Howard said.
"There's a demand there."
Mr Howard said if the application was approved, building was expected to start in the second half of this year and would be staged.
The site had its own access off Newcastle Road, so would not create traffic for local residents, he said.
Jones Sonter Architects is working on the Wallsend project.
The firm's website said the centre was designed to maximise the advantages of a park side environment for the enjoyment of the residents.
The building would be elevated to provide optimum views from all residential floors.
Mr Howard was the founder of OzEmail, which at one time was Australia's largest internet company.