Retirement properties in Crowthorne, Berkshire
The peaceful and picturesque village of Crowthorne offers a range of amenities including boutique shops and cafes with a laidback English village atmosphere. Enjoy luxury, modern living designed specifically with the needs of the over-70s in mind.
Birch Place provides convenient on-site parking, stunning landscaped gardens available all year-round, a welcoming estate management team, an exclusive homeowners' lounge, and a bistro serving hot and cold meals. Guests are always welcome to visit and there is even a guest suite on-site should you wish to have your guests stay for a longer visit.
Each accessible retirement apartment is move-in ready with built-in kitchens and bathrooms as well as private balconies and flawless finishes. You'll also find a 24-hour security system and thoughtful decorative details including raised power points and lever taps for easy operation.

What is Retirement Living PLUS?
Exclusive to the over 70s, you’ll enjoy your own private apartment with thoughtful assisted living services on the doorstep, including a subsidised restaurant and optional personal care packages.
Development Highlights
- Retirement Living PLUS – exclusive to the over 70s
- On-site chef-run bistro with changing seasonal menus
- Tailored domestic support and personal care available should you need it
- Staff on-call 24/7 and dedicated Estate Manager to handle day-to-day running of the community
Key Features
- Bistro
- Estates Manager
- 24/7 call system
- Camera entry system
- Wheelchair access
- Communal lounge
- Car parking
- Guest suite
- Landscaped gardens
Virtual Tours
See for yourself what Birch Place has to offer with virtual tours of our one bedroom apartment, two bedroom apartment and homeowners' lounge. To get the best experience, please click the full screen icon with the four arrows below in the bottom left menu bar.
Retirement Living Plus at Birch Place
Watch: A virtual fly-through tour of Birch Place
Interactive Site Plan
Our interactive site plan allows you to easily find available retirement properties. Click the tabs to view each floor. You'll see that one-bedroom homes are in yellow and two-bedroom homes are in purple. When you click on a property, you'll find out whether it is available for sale, rent or shared ownership, as well as pricing. Click on 'view property' to find out more. Retirement homes shown in red are already reserved, sold or rented out, but may be available on our Resales website.
Explore properties
Occupancy options
The properties at this development are leasehold properties with a term of 999 years from and including 01/01/2018
It’s an affordable approach to owning a stunning new retirement home:
- You may be able to access cash tied up in your existing property (known as ‘equity release’)
- You can choose to buy a bigger percentage of the property in the future – this reduces the rent you pay
- If you want, we can buy your existing property as a part exchange
- You’ll be eligible for our free Smooth Move removal service, plus a contribution to legal and estate agent fees
The rent is set at the point of purchase. Annual rent review on the date specified in your lease will be indexed to movements in the Retail Price Index (RPI) subject to a minimum 0.5%. RPI has been in the range c.1-4% since 2013 and was 3.3% in March 2018. 3.3% is equivalent to an extra £1.98 per week for typical rent of £60 per week.
What is Part buy, part rent?
A flexible, affordable alternative to outright purchase, with all the benefits of ownership. For more information call: 0800 201 4811
How it works
You purchase a minimum 50% share in a brand new McCarthy Stone retirement property and pay rent on the part you don’t own.
Benefits include:
It’s an affordable approach to owning a stunning new retirement home
- You may be able to access cash tied up in your existing property (known as ‘equity release’)
- You can choose to buy a bigger percentage of the property in the future – this reduces the rent you pay
- If you want, we can buy your existing property as a part exchange
- You’ll be eligible for our free Smooth Move removal service, plus a contribution to legal and estate agent fees
Is private shared ownership available at all McCarthy Stone developments?
No. This offer is available at selected McCarthy Stone developments, so make sure you check with the sales team on site.
What % of the property do I have to purchase?
70% is the standard option – there are options to increase this over time, known as staircasing.
What is staircasing and how does it work?
What further costs and fees are involved You can purchase further 10% increments, based on valuation at that point. You can staircase to 100% at which point the property would be wholly owned. You would stop paying rent, but service charges continue to be payable to McCarthy Stone.
Each time you staircase you need to plan for additional costs such as valuation fee, legal expenses, SDLT*/LTT** if applicable.
*Stamp Duty Land Tax **Land Transaction Tax (LTT) has replaced SDLT in Wales from April 2018
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) or Land Transaction Tax (LTT) on a private shared ownership property?
You will need to pay SDLT*/LTT** on a private shared ownership property, but you may have less to pay than if you had purchased outright. You should seek advice from your solicitor to confirm how much SDLT you have to pay.
*Stamp Duty Land Tax **Land Transaction Tax (LTT) has replaced SDLT in Wales from April 2018
How much rent will I have to pay and how will that change over time with rent reviews?
The rent is set at the point of purchase. Annual rent review on the date specified in your lease will be indexed to movements in the Retail Price Index (RPI) subject to a minimum 0.5%. RPI has been in the range c.1-4% since 2013, and was 3.3% in March 2018. 3.3% is equivalent to an extra £1.98 per week for typical rent of £60 per week.

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Join us at one of our events
- 14 Dec11:00 - 16:00
You're invited to our Christmas Open Day!
14th DecDuke's Ride, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 6GTCome and join us for our Festive Open Day! We're opening up our apartments for you to come and view with a mince pie and a hot drink. If you take a tour, you'll also be treated to a box of chocolates by artisan chocolatier Chococo.
As always, friends and family are more than welcome, so bring them along as well!
By appointment only, book your place today 0800 201 4811
- 26 Jan14:00 - 16:00
You're invited to our next Fantastic Fizz Friday!
26th JanDuke's Ride, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 6GTCome down to Birch Place on Friday 26th January between 2-4pm when you can pop a few prosecco corks with us! Friends and family are welcome to come along as well.
It's a great excuse to come and see what the lifestyle is like at our development and get chatting to some of the homeowners who can tell you their stories from living here.
Call 0800 201 4811 to book your space.
Offers Too Good To Miss
Pay 50% of the service charge for 4 years
Reserve an apartment before the end of January 2024 and legally complete by the end of April 2024 and we will pay up to 50% of annual service for 4 years.
Call 0800 201 4811 to take advantage of this incredible offer.
T&Cs can be found at: 50% Off Service Charge for 4 Years | McCarthy Stone (mccarthyandstone.co.uk)
Smooth Move
Nobody expects moving home to be easy, but we’re here to help you every step of the way; from the moment you make a reservation, through to the day you move in. Our Smooth Move service ensures everything goes like clockwork, which includes helping with the cost*.
To find our more please call 0800 201 4811.
Part Exchange for a fast and hassle-free sale
With Part Exchange, we can act as a cash buyer for your home. There’s no estate agent fees, no viewings and no chains. Just a guaranteed sale at a great price - so you could be enjoying the McCarthy Stone lifestyle sooner.
To find out more please call 0800 201 4811.

"I've thought about this and there's only one word to us that describes this place and that's "Utopia", It's absolutely fantastic!"