McCarthy & Stone has announced that it is to begin construction on a £32.2 million development of 92 specialist retirement apartments in Thatcham, Berkshire.
The development will include 52 apartments built to McCarthy & Stone’s Retirement Living Plus specification - a form of extra care housing. They will be made up of a mix of self-contained one and two-bedroom apartments, alongside the option of flexible domestic and personalised care and support packages from McCarthy & Stone’s on-site team. Retirement Living Plus offers a range of facilities to residents including an open-plan bistro, residents’ lounge, wellness suite and a guest suite.
A further 40 apartments will be built to McCarthy & Stone’s Retirement Living specification, which is aimed at the more active older homeowner, but still provides on-site support and maintenance for peace of mind, as well as a shared homeowners’ lounge.
A range of tenures will be on offer, reflecting McCarthy & Stone’s new strategy to offer customers more choice around how to enjoy the retirement living lifestyle.
This follows the news that McCarthy & Stone will now be directly delivering all the regulated care, domestic support and property management services provided in its 92 Retirement Living Plus (Extra Care) developments, having agreed to conclude its partnership with Somerset Care in July this year.
The development will occupy what was previously a major brownfield site and is conveniently located in the historic market town of Thatcham, just 14 miles from Reading and 15 miles from Basingstoke. It has excellent access to bus and rail services and is ideally situated for convenience, with supermarkets, local shops and attractions all nearby, while also being close to nature reserves and local parks.
Gary Day, McCarthy & Stone’s group land and planning director, says: “The number of older people in the UK is set to significantly increase over the next few decades, with around a third interested in downsizing to a home that is easier to maintain, but still offers them independent living. Despite this, there remains a huge undersupply of suitable housing for older people. Therefore, we are delighted that we are able to begin construction of this development and bring the option of our Retirement Living Plus and Retirement Living apartments to more customers in Berkshire.
“This development will offer customers the opportunity to live an independent lifestyle in the attractive and convenient location of Thatcham. These customers will benefit from a choice of high-quality apartments, as well as the flexibility to opt for discrete care packages as required available on-site at a popular and convenient location.”
