Our Purpose
Since building our first development in 1977, we have become the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities. We have sold over 58,000 properties across 1,300 developments. We are focussed on developing beautiful, sustainable and more affordable places to live, with flexible services and choice of ownership options at the core of our developments, designed around the needs of our customers and their families.
We believe that retirement living is so much more than simply deciding to move into a new home that’s better suited to our customers’ needs. It’s also an opportunity for them to embrace a new way of life, to have the freedom to live a lifestyle with more choices and more time to do the things they enjoy.
Our considered approach means we are the only home builder to have gained the top rating in the Home Builders’ Federation’s Customer Satisfaction Survey every year since it was introduced in 2005. We are committed to ensuring that older people can continue to enjoy their independence safe in the knowledge that help and support is never far away.
As part of our commitment to local communities, we work closely with site neighbours and stakeholders to help ensure we prepare the best possible plans before we submit a planning application for a new scheme. This consultation website is part of our activity to engage local people in the design of our schemes, and we hope you find them helpful and informative.
Safety and support during the pandemic
Our retirement developments are unique, providing independent living within private apartments alongside flexible on-site community facilities and support. This means that our homeowners have been safer and more supported than if they had been living alone during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Our developments have adapted during the pandemic, to support our homeowners, tackling the need for PPE and supporting our most vulnerable residents by delivering home meals, shopping and providing crucial medical supplies. The specialist nature of our developments and our committed staff have meant that infection rates in our communities were 27% lower than the general over 65 population and four times lower than the over 85s.
What is Retirement Living
Retirement Living creates safe and secure environments for our customers to continue to live an active, independent life. Homeowners have their own front doors and privacy just as they did in their previous homes and they are free to join in with community activities within the development or to pursue their own interests as they please.
Apartments can be occupied by people aged 60 and over, although the average age of residents upon purchase is 79. The majority of homeowners moving into our developments already live in the local area.
Designed to make life a little easier
Our developments are carefully designed with the needs of older people in mind, with step-free and wheelchair access throughout the building. The apartments are all designed to be ‘care ready’ and are fully wheelchair accessible.
They are built to generous internal space standards and incorporate features designed to help homeowners maintain their independence, such as 24-hour emergency call points, secure camera entry systems, accessible bathrooms, eye level ovens and cupboards, good lighting, and switches / electrical sockets at a raised height to reduce bending.
Supportive and secure communities
Later life is filled with possibility, and we believe there is vitality in togetherness that gives people purpose and a sense of fulfilment. Along with the benefits of independent living within their own apartments, homeowners are able to enjoy activities in the shared spaces at the heart of the development.
These include a great value in-house restaurant or bistro offering freshly prepared meals 365 days a year, hot and cold drinks, and freshly baked cakes throughout the day, cooked by a professional chef using local produce, for when homeowners don’t feel like food shopping or cooking.
There is also a spacious shared lounge for socialising and events, laundry room, mobility scooter charging room, and a guest suite for when friends and family come to stay. Some developments include health and wellbeing suites, staff rooms, function rooms, hairdressing salons and hobby rooms.
All of our developments also include beautifully landscaped outside spaces which enhance both the building and the local neighbourhood, as well as providing a social area for homeowners to come together which is, importantly, accessible to older people.
The shared spaces provided with our retirement communities help to combat loneliness in later life more effectively. A ready-made supportive and vibrant community is available for homeowners to access, whilst retaining their independence and involvement in the wider local area, as they choose. We make this a priority within our developments, ensuring that a range of social activities, events, organised outings and opportunities to make new friends are available to all its homeowners.
A sustainable way of living
We work hard to build environmentally friendly developments, with each scheme having high standards of insulation and energy efficiency. The majority of our homeowners could save around £1,200 per year on running costs when compared with their previous property.
Our sites are usually on previously developed land and are close to towns, local shops, facilities and transport links, which means that our homeowners have a reduced reliance on their own cars and a smaller ‘carbon footprint’.
Indeed, in later life, the decision to move to specialist accommodation located closer to the shops and services that they place most reliance on, often goes hand in hand with relinquishing their car. Of those who do decide to keep hold of their car, many will often decide to sell it after a year or so when they realise that it is no longer essential to maintaining their independence.
We also manage every aspect of the construction process and we look to ensure that our activities have regard to site neighbours and the general public.