New development of retirement apartments proposed for Granham Hill garage site

The specialist developers McCarthy & Stone have bought an interest in the Clarke and Rodway garage site at the bottom of Granham Hill.  They are proposing to build a development of 27 ‘one and two bed luxury age-exclusive apartments’.

McCarthy & Stone specialise in building accommodation for people in later life who need to downsize their homes and purchasers at this scheme will have to be aged 55 or over.

Initial plans for this development will go on show on Tuesday, May 27 at St John’s Academy – just up the hill from the site.  The plans will be open for inspection from 3.00pm to 7.00pm and McCarthy & Stone staff will be there to explain the development.

The garage site was the subject of a planning application for 36 retirement apartments by Pegasus Homes in 2008.  Their application was refused on the grounds of insufficient information, affordable housing needs, energy issues and ‘overlooking’.

McCarthy & Stone believe that although it was refused, this application ‘established certain principles’ which their plans have taken on board. They say their plans respond better to ‘the unique nature of Marlborough’.

Shane Paull of McCarthy & Stone explains the purpose of this exhibition held so early in the planning process:   “We want to hear from the local community before we submit a planning application and will be displaying our plans at the exhibition.”
 
“Our project team will be at the exhibition to answer questions and listen to feedback and the comments we receive will help us tailor our proposals.”

McCarthy & Stone have become Britain’s leading provider of retirement apartments.  They have built 70 per cent of this type of targeted accommodation in Britain – more than 45,000 apartments in 1,000 different schemes.

A planning application is underway for a care home and sheltered accommodation on the Old Council Depot site on the Salisbury Road.  One of the reasons the Town Council rejected this project was that they believed Marlborough’s urgent need is for more affordable homes for young people.

McCarthy & Stone say their plans for the Granham Hill garage site will bring “a specialist form of housing which will help meet an identified, and growing, need in the area.” The issue of affordable homes will come at a later stage in the planning process.

The company has already had early meetings with the site’s immediate neighbours and local community representatives.

NOTE: The artist’s impression (above) is only a draft image as the proposal’s plans will be subject to change following the public exhibition.