Plans for sustainable new retirement homes at the Avonpark retirement community in Wiltshire have been recommended for approval. Retirement Villages Group (RVG) proposes to enhance the retirement community in Winsley as part of its village portfolio investment plan and commitment to creating communities built around community, choice, and wellbeing.
Wiltshire Council’s Western Area Planning Committee will next week consider a planning application (8 May) for the community, with officers recommending councillors give the investment plan the green light.
Set within 15 acres of leafy landscaped grounds, Avonpark is home to retirees who enjoy an independent, social, and active lifestyle. But, to future-proof the community, parts of the site now require rejuvenation and significant investment.
Following consultation on the vision for Avonpark’s next chapter, RVG submitted plans to take down the Alexander Heights and Fountains Place buildings – once used as a care home but now standing empty – and replace them with modern and sustainable new retirement homes.
The investment plan aims to provide a high-quality retirement community for generations to come, with the application seeking permission to:
- Replace the vacant 85-bed care buildings with 74 sustainable new retirement apartments.
- Implement high-quality design, with style and materials inspired by local architectural character – a significant improvement on the existing, redundant buildings.
- Create modern communal facilities for residents, including but not limited to, a shop, restaurant, bar, social spaces for meetings, craft room, library, studio, wellbeing therapy/treatment room, salon, lounge, and staff offices.
- Deliver extensive, diverse landscaping, including a courtyard, quiet garden, physic garden, growing zone (including allotments and edible gardens), and an official size croquet lawn, alongside new outdoor seating and terraces.
RVG are also planning to make significant investments into the sustainability of Avonpark, going above and beyond planning requirements. The proposal includes delivery of over 150 solar panels to generate on-site renewable energy; electric vehicle charging points; and lush planting and new habitats to deliver a 33% Biodiversity Net Gain within the village grounds.
Jack Stirling, Development Manager at Retirement Villages Group said:
Our significant investment plans will secure the long-term future of Avonpark as a thriving retirement community. Parts of the village are in great need of rejuvenation. The considered vision we’ve put forward will not only deliver new homes for retirees alongside diverse communal facilities but will unlock substantial environmental benefits as we make the community more sustainable.
“We’ve worked extensively with the council to ensure our plans to replace existing buildings at Avonpark are high-quality and take inspiration from local architectural character. It’s really encouraging to see that councillors are recommended to approve the plans, which would pave the way for extensive revitalization of the community.
Anticipated economic and social benefits of Avonpark's investment plan
The planning application details how investment would also unlock new jobs and a range of social and economic benefits, including 76 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs during construction and 23 FTE jobs on completion; a £6.8 million economic boost during construction for the local economy; and £175,000 in council tax each year.
If approved, it is anticipated that initial work could start on site by late 2024.
