Work has now been completed on The Chocolate Quarter, the highly anticipated new retirement village and care home on the site of the former Cadbury’s factory in Keynsham, Somerset.
The new £60 million development by Bristol-based charity St Monica Trust offers a luxury retirement community with a range of facilities open to the public to encourage intergenerational use and prevent isolation of the elderly.
The Chocolate Quarter is home to 136 retirement apartments and a 93-bed care home, as well as office space and retail outlets. Community facilities, open to the public include a new authentic pizzeria called B Block, a spa, gym, swimming pool, cinema, craft studios for woodwork, pottery and art, hair salon, barber and nail salon.
Once home to some of the nation’s favourite treats, the site was previously home to the Somerdale Factory, originally built in the 1920s by J S Fry and Sons. The iconic red brick buildings have been lovingly refurbished to maintain their landmark status and interiors have been designed to maintain the integrity of the heritage at the iconic site.
The Chocolate Quarter is set to be a new community hub for Keynsham, offering a whole host of facilities that are open to all to encourage intergenerational use of the site.
St Monica Trust is well known in the South West for its pioneering accommodation solutions that enable residents to enjoy and maintain their independence. The Chocolate Quarter is the fifth development by the charity and challenges the retirement village model by pushing new boundaries in the sector.
David Williams, chief executive of St Monica Trust, comments: “The care home market has changed and developed so much over the last few years and with The Chocolate Quarter we really wanted to create something special and fit for the future.
“We want The Chocolate Quarter to be used by all, to create a hub of social activity that negates the need for older people to feel like they’re being isolated and instead allows them to feel part of a buzzing intergenerational community.
“The site has historically played such an important role in the local community and with The Chocolate Quarter we want to restore that, breathing new life into this community hub for Keynsham while building new homes tailored to the needs of aspirational older people.”
Fifty four per cent of the one and two bedroom apartments have already sold, with just 61 properties remaining.
Next to the River Avon and within a short five minute walk to the centre of Keynsham, The Chocolate Quarter offers both town and country living. With incredible country views, apartments feature balconies, gardens and terraces as well as access to communal rooftop gardens.
Each apartment has been laid out to make the most of the unique space, with a focus on detail to ensure exclusive living that offers practical touches. The interior design has been done by Jane Clayton Interiors and each apartment includes a laundry room complete with washing machine and tumble dryer, en-suite showers and plenty of storage. The kitchens feature integrated Neff appliances, including slide and hide oven doors and Bosch dishwashers and the bathrooms offer walk-in showers, underfloor heating and night lighting.
The 93 bed care home, known as Charterhouse offers communal kitchen and living areas with spacious private bedroom suites. The design of each room has been carefully thought out to make everyday life easier with motion sensors which turn on low-level lighting in the en-suite for night time bathroom visits and the mattresses are finely tuned for a perfect fit to ensure a good night’s sleep. The large private suites are all en-suite and offer air conditioning, wi-fi, full height windows and the facility for in-room dining.
