Inspired Villages, has been granted planning permission to build a £100 million retirement community on the edge of Tunbridge Wells
Phase one of the 9.5-acre development will include the village centre, a medical hub, and 55 of the146 planned homes.
The development, in the Wealden District of East Sussex, will offer landscaped gardens and a lake, a restaurant, café, library and wellbeing centre (with fitness studio, gym and swimming pool).
The approval follows a series of announcements that puts Inspired Villages on an ambitious path to build 34 villages for the over 65s in the next 10 years, including its six current developments and four under construction.
Research shows there are some 12 million people over the age of 65 in the UK. This figure expected to increase by 41 per cent to nearly 18m by 2040.
Yet there is a severe shortage of retirement properties available. Just 80,000 and around 7,000 new units delivered each year.
Located just two miles from the centre of Tunbridge Wells, Inspired’s scheme will offer 146 apartments with work starting in the summer.
Neal Dale, Development Director at Inspired Villages, said: “This is another step forward in our plans to deliver age-appropriate homes to East Sussex. Approval from the council means we at Inspired Villages can provide homes that support the wellbeing of over 65s, both mentally and physically, and help them to live independent lives for longer.”
