Go-ahead for care village (From Witney Gazette)

Go-ahead for care village

2:16pm Tuesday 7th August 2007 in Witney By David Horne

PLANNERS have given the go-ahead for a £15m care village for the retired and elderly.

Up to 170 people could be accommodated in Coral Springs, which will be built on a site near the A40, on the edge of Witney.

The complex, which has been given the backing of West Oxfordshire District Council, will feature a 30-bed nursing care unit, about 50 serviced apartments, and 60 care apartments.

There will also be a restaurant, café, and bowling green.

Richmond Villages, which also runs retirement complexes in Coventry and Northampton, was previously told by planners to 'firm up' its proposal for the site before being given outline planning consent.

Managing director, Keith Cockell, said a detailed planning application could be submitted in about three months. He hoped work could start on site next summer.

He said the complex would not be a gated community, and said recreational facilities would be open to local people, as well as residents.

Richmond Villages will also be inviting local clubs, such as Rotary and Probus, to use its meeting rooms free of charge, in a bid to integrate with the town.

Mr Cockell said: "We want to be a real part of the local community."

He refused to comment on prices for apartments in the village - which can be bought or rented - but said they would be relative to the values of the local housing market.

Service charges - including all meals, utility bills, laundry, and cleaning - are approximately £250 per person per week, while personal care, from a care agency based at the site, will be about £10 per hour.

Richmond Villages said the complex would cater for an 'ageing population'.

The district has 16,500 retired residents, and over the next 20 years, the number is expected to grow to more than 27,000.

The retirement development is the latest to receive approval in the district. St Mary's Mead, in Witney, caters for people over the age of 50, while the Elizabeth Finn Cotswold Home, near Burford, is a dedicated care home for more than 50 residents. There are also smaller developments in Witney and Chipping Norton.

The Coral Springs site itself has been the subject of various redevelopment schemes, including Abingdon and Witney College, which once considered moving its local campus there, before deciding to remain in the town centre.