Plans approved for an extra care community in Saffron Walden
McCarthy Stone, the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, is pleased to have been granted unanimous planning permission by Uttlesford District Council for new Retirement Living PLUS (Extra Care) accommodation in Saffron Walden.
McCarthy Stone’s application will deliver a sensitively designed development of 56 one- and two-bedroom Extra Care apartments and 16 one- and two-bedroom Extra Care bungalows, in a range of tenures including purchase, part rent-part buy and rental options, alongside tailored communal facilities and associated parking and landscaping. The development will also provide 58 parking spaces with significant Electric Vehicle Charging points and an on-site 24-hour flexible care and support that is tailored to the individual needs of each homeowner.
The application has demonstrated that they are aligned with the Council’s Interim Climate Change Policy 2021 to achieve net-zero carbon by 2030 through a range of sustainable measures across all the development. These features will include:
- The provision of PV panels that capture and converts solar energy into electricity to power household appliances
- A sustainable drainage solution has been adopted to ensure no detriment to the community
- A comprehensive water consumption strategy to achieve an average well below the maximum allowed under current regulations
- Timed heating for increased efficiency
- All apartments will have MVHR units to minimise energy demand. These units can recover heatfrom the extract air to reduce the heating demand
- Electric Vehicle Charging for 16 of the bungalows and 20% of the parking spaces for the apartments
- Electric charging points for mobility scooters
- A strategic location near local amenities to encourage sustainable travel
- There will be a significant gain in biodiversity because of gains in habitat by hedgerow planting
Mark Bryan, Divisional Development Director for McCarthy Stone London & South East said: “We are delighted to receive unanimous planning permission for our revised proposals for Saffron Walden. We have worked hard to amend our proposals to respond to the comments by local members and deliver a sensitively designed scheme.
“We are confident that these proposals will help to address a demand for retirement accommodation in Uttlesford as well as improve the local housing mix, providing choice for older people. This site is well located and close to local amenities and public transport links connecting it to the wider area.”
The proposals will also have benefits for the wider housing market, as those moving to the retirement accommodation and care home will ‘downsize’, thereby releasing much-needed family homes and smaller homes for first-time buyers further down the housing chain.
McCarthy Stone’s Extra Care development would significantly improve local housing choice for older homeowners who wish to retain their independence, in their own home, with flexible care and support on-hand, tailored to individual needs. A recent report has found that housing specifically designed for later living can reduce the age an average person feels by up to ten years and improve established measures for wellbeing, such as happiness and life satisfaction.
McCarthy Stone organises over 10,000 social events for their homeowners every month in the communal spaces provided in the developments, as well as day trips, helping to combat loneliness in later life more effectively. With their own front doors and the privacy of their own apartments and bungalows, homeowners can socialise as much or as little as they wish, from coffee mornings to jazz and prosecco garden parties, there is something for everyone.
We will begin construction of our development in the coming months, but in the meantime, anyone who would like to find out more details about McCarthy Stone’s proposal for Saffron Walden can contact a member of the project team on the Freephone information line number, 0800 298 7040.
