David Hoppit discovers there’s a big choice of housing options

There are nearly as many different types of retirement properties in the United Kingdom as there are shapes and styles of ordinary homes. The growth over the past 25 years has been remarkable – from a handful of developments to more than 100,000. There are cottages and bungalows, apartments and huge penthouse suites that cost more than £1 million.

So what can you expect from a modern, specialist development?

Some of the more upmarket schemes such as Beechcroft, for example, have their own swimming pools, gymnasiums, tennis courts and bowling greens.

The Care Village Group tends to build country retreat-style properties in landscaped grounds, with a residents’ bar, lounge and restaurant, library, hairdresser, shop, therapy centre and minibus service to towns and places of interest. You can try it all out on a short let before you buy.

McCarthy & Stone, still by far the largest provider of purpose-built retirement property (more than 30,000 and rising) says security is the most compelling reason for people to buy a retirement flat. So their door-control systems, intruder alarms, CCTV surveillance beamed to the home TV, 24-hour helpline and live-in manager are a big draw.

Most retirement developments are within level walking distances of shops and amenities, and most have a minimum age for residency – sometimes as low as 50 – and most have communal lounges and gardens, as well as facilities such as laundries.

Residents can be as sociable (or unsociable) as they wish. You don’t have to join in the curry night or bridge club.

Indoors, many centres have features that make life easier, whatever the age or needs of residents. They include wider doorways for potential wheelchair access, easy-to-use taps and non-slip bathroom fittings.

Other innovations include switches and power points at sensible (waist-level) heights, non-slip showers and alarms, in case of an accident, a fall or an intruder.

Sheltered housing, assisted living, retirement homes – call them what you will – are not nursing homes, though some do provide nursing care when it’s needed.

Another huge advantage of apartments is called the “tea cosy effect”. All retirement property is highly insulated and thus cheaper to keep warm.

Alec Collins, 71, a former aviation engineer who moved with his wife Dorothy from a bungalow in Bradpole to nearby Peelers Court, in Bridport, Dorset, saw his monthly energy costs fall from £90 to just £25.

So, retirement properties are safe and energy-efficient; and they provide as much or as little social life as the residents require. But aren’t they tiny and don’t people trading down from a family home have to dispose of all or most of their treasured possessions?

That used to be the case, but the modern retirement building can be just as spacious as a family home – just with fewer bedrooms. Most couples buying one opt for two or three bedrooms, so each can have their own space.

English Courtyard spokesman Kevin Holland says living space in the average family home was reduced in the 20th century from 1,930 square feet to 893 square feet. All but one of the properties the company built in the last three years were larger.

Sir David Lumsden, the former principal of the Royal Academy of Music and his wife were persuaded by their children to move from their six-bedroom home in Cambridgeshire to a more manageable space.

The problem was Sir David’s collection of musical instruments, in particular his beloved grand piano. They looked at several properties in and around Winchester but eventually chose a 1,600 square foot second-floor apartment at English Courtyard’s Wyke Mark, near the city.

The huge instrument was hoisted into the flat from the balcony and now stands proudly in the corner of the drawing room. “We were looking for an apartment of a certain size and hadn’t considered all the other benefits at the time. But we have certainly made a very good move,” says Sir David.

This article was created: 11 October 2006.
This article was last edited: 16 January 2007.

Email Back to top

Site map | About Us | Privacy policy | Contact Us