Farrans is to build a £45m retirement community in South Oxfordshire for developer Inspired Villages.
In the first phase of the Widmore Park development at Sonning Common (pictured), Belfast-based Farrans will deliver 73 homes for people aged over 65, as well as a wellness suite with a swimming pool and gym.
Construction News has approached Farrans and Inspired Village for a project timescale for phase one, but the former did state that when fully complete, the entire scheme will provide 133 homes for over-65s and other community facilities such as a cafe, restaurant and library.
Inspired Villages operates nine retirement villages, while three others are under construction.
Glenn Gilmore, regional director for Farrans, said Sonning Common was a development in the heart of an area with significant demand for retired living accommodation.
“The design has brought in elements which will encourage a true community spirit, with opportunities to socialise, relax and keep active,” he explained.
“We will be engaging with the local community throughout our work on site and we look forward to leaving a positive lasting legacy in the area.”
Inspired Villages, which recently opened a net-zero retirement community at Millfield Green in Bedfordshire, said Widmore Park would carry the same sustainability credentials, centred on ground-source heat-pump technology.
“Sonning Common is an important step in our portfolio expansion, allowing us to support the shortfall in specialist later-living housing in the South Oxfordshire area,” said the developer’s chief property and development officer, Neal Dale.
Farrans, a sister company of Tarmac and a trading division of Northstone (NI) Limited, was recently picked to deliver the first phase of the regeneration of Leeds Bradford Airport and is part of the joint venture appointed to complete a major upgrade to the A52 in Nottingham.
It was also part of the SFN JV involved in the extension of the Edinburgh tram network, which opened in June.
