This McCarthy Stone Retirement Living PLUS development in Harwell, Didcot boasts 32 stylish one bedroom and 28 two bedroom privately owned apartments for those over 70. A lovely place to call home, Williams Place is located in the heart of Great Western Park, with a wealth of amenities on its doorstep including an ASDA, dentist, pharmacy, coffee shop, hairdressers, takeaways and a warm inviting pub. Williams Place offers the level of freedom needed to maintain your independence for longer in your own home, and live retirement to the full.
In addition to privately owned, beautiful apartments there is an on-site Estates Team so residents can receive flexible, consistent care and support in their own home. All external property maintenance including gardening and window cleaning is taken care of.
The development also offers warm and friendly social spaces including landscaped gardens, an on-site table service restaurant and function room, Club lounge, and a guest suite. There is ample parking with 34 spaces, as well as a mobility scooter store, for both homeowners and visitors. For added peace of mind, the apartments are equipped with a 24-hour emergency call system and an Estates Manager.
There is a bus stop less than 100m from the development and Didcot Parkway Station is a 15 minute bus journey. Williams Place is located just 10 miles from Oxford and within easy reach of M4, A34 and M40.
Williams Place is certainly something that has to be seen to fully appreciate what it is like to live retirement to the full within this lovely community.
Development Highlights
- Located in Great Western Park adjacent to ASDA and retail shops
- Flexible care tailored to your needs and preferences
- Excellent transport links including a new bus stop less than 100m away
- Warm social spaces such as a Club lounge, function room & reading room
- Private on-site restaurant, offering delicious meals daily
- 24 hour Estates Team and emergency call system
Key Features
- Communal lounge
- Salon
- Estates Manager
- Landscaped gardens
- Guest suite
- Car parking
- Camera entry system
- Lifts to all floors
- Mobility scooter room
Interactive Site Plan
Our interactive site plan allows you to explore this retirement development. Click the tabs to view each floor, with G being the Ground Floor. You’ll see that one-bedroom retirement homes are shown in yellow and two-bedroom apartments are shown in purple. Any retirement property shown in red is already reserved, sold or rented out. When you click on an available property, you’ll be given information about the sale and/or rental prices (all rental prices include service charges and ground rent). You can then click on ‘view property’ to find out more.
Explore properties:
Occupancy options
The properties at this development are leasehold properties with a term of 999 years from and including 01/06/2017
* To be offset against your initial payment and fully refundable should your tenancy not proceed
- Communal area costs inc. electricity, heating and lighting
- Future maintenance fund
- Water and sewage (communal areas and apartments)
- Ground rent
- Maintenance of building and gardens
- Emergency call system
- Building insurance
- Active social calendar of events and exclusive discounts
- Dedicated on-site team
- Weekly domestic assistance
- Use of the on-site restaurant
What's not included?
- Electricity, heating and lighting (apartments)
- Phone / broadband
- Council Tax
- TV licence / TV service
- Home and contents insurance
What is an Assured Tenancy?
Assured Tenancy means that you agree to rent the property for a minimum term of 12 months, but after that you can leave at any time as long as you give two months written notice. We can’t ask you to leave unless you have broken the terms of the agreement.
I want to rent. What checks do you carry out and what do I need to prepare?
We’ll ask you to complete a Rental Application Pack and an Income and Expenditure form to get the information we need to do standard background checks. You’ll be asked for proof of income, savings and/or pensions, along with copies of your last three months’ bank statements. You’ll be asked to provide identification documentation that complies with the latest Government Right to Rent regulations – our sales consultants will talk you through what you need.
Do I need to pay a reservation deposit?
Yes, you will need to pay a small refundable reservation deposit to reserve the property. You will also have to pay a security deposit equivalent to five weeks rent when you move in.
What do I have to pay before moving in?
Before you can move into your property, you will need to pay the first month’s rent together with your security deposit, minus the reservation deposit you’ve already paid.
The security deposit is equivalent to five weeks rent. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you know the exact amount you need to pay in plenty of time.
McCarthy Stone is part of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, membership number G10625. Download the Tenancy Deposit Scheme leaflet.
What date are rental payments due?
All rental payments are due on the 1st of each month and must be paid by direct debit. Your rent includes all of the development’s service charges, ground rents and property maintenance.
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 and ground rent 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.
Living at Williams Place

Watch: A fly-through tour of Williams Place, Didcot

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Living in Didcot
The McCarthy Stone development will has an enviable location in the Great Western Park, a modern residential area that features its own recreational park, schools and a community and health centre. There is also a wealth of amenities including an ASDA, hairdresser, dentist and pharmacy. Transport is easy to use, with key roads nearby to take you to Oxford, Reading, Swindon and Newbury. The Didcot Parkway railway station has fast and frequent services to the surrounding suburbs, as well as to London and Birmingham.
Didcot is a lovely little spot just 10 miles south of the historic university city of Oxford. The town has become synonymous with railways and trains - it's known for its railway junction, museum and power stations. Train enthusiasts have to check out the Didcot Railway Centre to see its impressive collection of Great Western Railway steam engines, coaches, wagons, buildings and small relics.
The town centre also has plenty to offer, including a Cineworld movie complex, Sainsbury's supermarket, library, post office and leisure centre. The Orchard Shopping Centre has over 30 stores and restaurants, and the nearby Cornerstone Arts Centre often puts on seasonal events, exhibitions and community classes.
Didcot enjoys lots of green parks and large, open spaces. There are over 10 parks and gardens, as well as a nature reserve where you can find special types of wild orchids.
- Conveniently situated close to these local amenities:
- NatWest
- Nationwide
- Costa Coffee
- Busby House Dental Centre
Transport links from the development are good. Didcot Parkway is just 1.6 miles away and provides 111 trains to London every day. From here, there are also links to Birmingham and local stations.
The Orchard Centre caters for all your shopping needs and can be reached in 1.7 miles. You’ll find all the major stores and eateries here, including an M&S Foodhall, a Sainsbury’s and a Costa Coffee.
Getting to Location
If you are using a Sat Nav system you may need to use OX11 6FF as the postcode. The development postcode is newly created by Royal Mail and may not be accurate for some months.
The Team at Williams Place

Great Homes for Sale and Rent
Offers Too Good To Miss
Find your happy place with our fantastic rental offer
One month's rent free
If you would prefer to rent, we can either offer you one month's rent free or free removals* on selected properties. *Ts&Cs apply.
To find our more please call 0800 201 4811.
A gift from us to you
Visit a McCarthy Stone development near you and we’ll give you a M&S voucher* to spend as you like. Simply take a tour of our stylish development with our knowledgeable sales team and they’ll sort out the rest.
To arrange your first time visit, call us on 0800 201 4811 today.
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Useful Links
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- Retirement Living or Retirement Living PLUS? Which development type is right for you?
- Homeowner testimonials: what’s it really like to move into our developments?
- Creating communities: read more about our unrivalled properties, services and lifestyle
- Shopping made simple: discover our exclusive telephone-based supermarket delivery service
Please note that images are for illustrative purposes only. Images may include upgrades and optional extras which may be available for you to purchase at an additional cost. Please click here for further explanations. Floor plans and pricing are accurate at time of publication. Floor plans are for guidance purposes only and are subject to change. Prices may fluctuate depending on market conditions and availability.