Our Proposals for a specialist retirement community in Garforth
The Site
The proposals are centred on a brownfield site to the North of Garforth high street at the intersection of Barrowby Lane, Aberford Road and Wakefield Road. The site is well located to provide a much-needed development of retirement accommodation to enable local older people to stay in Garforth, close to the town centre and its amenities.
Our Proposals
The emerging proposals for the site’s redevelopment look to provide a new, specialist retirement community, as well as landscaping, indoor communal facilities and on-site parking; and comprise of:
- A high-quality Retirement Living development featuring around 42 one- and two-bedroom apartments, comprising both private sale and shared ownership.
- Shared facilities within the development, include a communal lounge and a hotel style guest suite for when loved ones come to stay.
- Appropriate scale and massing for the site, respecting its context and neighbouring properties.
- A single L-shaped building that will be set back from the main road and the neighbouring properties, whilst creating a private communal garden area for the future residents.
- The design of the scheme has been developed to be a modern reference to Garforth’s local character.
- Sufficient levels of car parking on-site, with around 32 spaces, including disabled and electric vehicle charging bays, alongside internal scooter storage space.
- Attractive landscaped outdoor spaces, to include a landscaped parking area as well as a communal garden.
Our Approach to Design
Layout and appearance
As with every McCarthy Stone development, the feeling of community lies at the heart of the building, with communal spaces for the benefit of all residents.
The proposal is for an L-shaped building set back from the intersection of Barrowby Lane, Aberford Road and Wakefield Road.
The building will be surrounded by high-quality landscaped gardens and planting to enhance and strengthen site boundaries and natural screening to maintain privacy between the proposal and the surrounding buildings. The L-shape layout makes best use of the site, avoiding potential overlooking issues with surrounding housing.
The proposals include 32 on site car parking spaces, with additional landscaping to provide a pleasant environment and increased opportunities for biodiversity on the site.
Scale
A key driver of the proposals is to provide a development that respects surrounding properties, comprising of a single development which is 3 storeys at its highest point. The building steps down to 2-storeys as it approaches neighbouring properties.
Materials
The design has sought to respond to the historic buildings and structures located in the immediate context of the site, such as Salisbury Terrace and properties on Wakefield Road.
The materials palette proposes to use red brick with subtle brickwork detailing to aid visual scale and proportions of the building. Combined with the use of a slate-coloured roof, this will a ensure that the design positively integrates and provides a contemporary reference to the character and appearance of Garforth.
Highways and access
Access
The site will be accessible for all vehicles via Barrowby Lane, as well as a dedicated pedestrian access, from Wakefield Road, with a mobility scooter store located within the building. The site is sustainably located, within walking distance of Garforth Main Street that contains a range of services and amenities. There is a bus stop on Barrowby Lane, which offers regular services to Wakefield and Wetherby, and Garforth Railway Station is just a quarter mile away.
Electrical charging points are offered to all car parking spaces. The entrance design prioritises a level approach, ensuring easy access from the car park areas into the development. This thoughtful design facilitates unimpeded movement, ensuring seamless accessibility for all.
Parking
The proposal will offer on-site car parking, to include around 32 spaces for residents, staff and visitors. This will be located in the east of the site. Access will be provided directly into the site from the existing vehicular entrance adjacent on Barrowby Lane.
Parking bays are interspersed with planting, allowing for trees within the court. The proposed development will include disabled spaces and electric vehicle charging points.
McCarthy Stone developments, by their very nature, generate low traffic movements when compared with general market housing. Residents moving to a McCarthy Stone development tend to rely less on their car, and from McCarthy Stone’s experience, many relinquish it altogether after a year or so when they realise that it is no longer essential to maintaining their independence.
Those residents who do own a car tend to use it outside of peak hours, and not on a daily basis.
Construction Traffic
The timing and routing for construction traffic will be carefully considered with the planning and highway authorities to ensure minimal disruption to the local road network and highway safety.
Outdoor Spaces
We seek to ensure that all our developments have high-quality outside space for our residents to enjoy.
Our proposals for Garforth seek to provide a range of outdoor areas for the benefit of our residents. The plans feature a variety of external spaces, from seating spots to places of social activity in the form communal gardens that extend from the homeowners’ lounge to the south.
The landscape features banked grass areas, gardens, the communal lounge terrace and raised planters, all of which make for an attractive environment to encourage residents to spend time outside in a private and secluded area, and improve the site’s biodiversity and green buffer between neighbouring properties.
Furthermore, all ground floor apartments with direct access to external ground levels have private patio amenity space, which is enclosed with landscaping to create private space separated from the communal gardens. All upper floor apartments have either private external balcony amenity space or ‘Juliet’ balconies.
Our developments are designed to blend in with their surroundings. We recognise that high quality gardens and landscaping turn a good development into a great one, and we are pleased that many of our schemes have won awards for their outside space.
Furthermore, as part of the submission of this application, a comprehensive landscaping strategy will be submitted.
Have your say
We want to hear your views on our emerging proposals for the project.