The Development Proposals

We are proposing to submit a planning application for the development of the site to create a new, vibrant community which will deliver much needed older persons’ accommodation.

The current development proposals follow the completion of preliminary technical work which was undertaken to inform our understanding of the site and its wider context.

The site represents a sustainable location to deliver a high-quality retirement living scheme which will provide 53 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, set within landscaped gardens.

53 retirement living apartments will be provided within a four-storey building. A 24-hour emergency call service will be available for all residents.

Proposed Site Plan
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Design

The scheme has been designed to encourage a community feel and includes ample amenity space to ensure that residents have the opportunity to interact with their neighbours.

The layout makes provision for sufficient car parking, whilst incorporating communal landscaped gardens. Existing trees will be retained, whilst additional planting will feature around the perimeter of the site.

The architecture will reflect the character of the wider area, incorporating red brick work reminiscent of the local context. It will comprise a four-storey,

L-shaped building with a flat roof design which will reduce the scale of the development.

The proposals represent a valuable opportunity to bring forward specialist retirement accommodation, providing a genuine choice for older people so that they can live locally in a home that meets their needs and aspirations in their later years.

The Need for Retirement Homes

The Government has set out a clear requirement that “the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community should be assessed and reflected in planning policies. These groups should include…older people (including those who require retirement housing, housing-with-care and care homes)” (Paragraph 63, National Planning Policy Framework). The Planning Practice Guidance also highlights that, in the context of an ageing population, “the need to provide housing for older people is critical” (PPG ID: 63-001).

Under-occupation coupled with low rates of movement in the housing market has led to debates revolving around the need for older households to ‘downsize’ to free up larger family houses. However, as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted, this is misleading as it ignores “both the lack of housing choice, as well as older people’s psychological and social reasons for staying put”.

In fact, evidence suggests that 58% of people over 60 are interested in moving but cannot find suitable properties and that nationally there is a limited choice in accommodation for older people, both in respect of specialist and alternative housing, and in terms of tenure, location, size, affordability and type of care or support.

A study by Homes for Later Living also identified that 25% of people aged 65+ would like to downsize their property. This represents 3 million people in the UK who would like to move to a smaller home. Where suitable alternatives are provided, the movement of older people can help to free up existing family-sized housing; this has been acknowledged as a specific benefit of providing specialist housing in planning decisions.

This is particularly important in the context of an ageing population, with the over 65 population growing at a faster rate than the total population. It is anticipated that North Northamptonshire’s population aged over 65 will see a 52% increase over the period leading up to 2041, suggesting that there is a clear need for older persons’ housing in this location (Para 8.14, North Northamptonshire Housing and Economic Needs Assessment, July 2023). The proposals therefore aim to deliver high-quality specialist housing to meet this identified need.

The Benefits of the Proposals

The proposed development would deliver a range of social, economic and environmental benefits for the local area.

It will ensure the effective use of brownfield land which is the right location to deliver housing for older persons. It will also improve housing choice within the area, freeing up family sized homes for first time buyers and young families.

In summary, the benefits of the proposal include:

Support for the local economy through the provision of new jobs during the construction period;
Average health and social care savings of £3,500 per person per year when someone moves into a retirement home;

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Improved quality of life and health outcomes for older people within the area:

(a) The average 80-year-old feels a decade younger after moving into specialist accommodation; and

(b) Those in specialist retirement housing are half as likely to be lonely, making them significantly less likely to develop dementia.
Family sized housing will be freed up for first time-buyers and young families;
The proposal makes use of previously developed land and is sustainably located near the future local centre for the Wellingborough North SUE. Future residents, visitors and staff will have a reduced reliance on the car, lowering their carbon footprint; and
Landscaping enhancements are proposed as part of the development, including planting that will help to increase biodiversity.

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