Elliott Group starts work on £36m Boughton Heath retirement village

Developer Retirement Village Group’s 155 senior living apartments on the former site of Beechmoor Garden Centre are set to open in late 2024.

Architect RCKa designed the £36m scheme off Whitchurch Road, which will see a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes split across six villas.

Main contractor Elliott Group, whose headquarters are in Ireland, has started construction on the Boughton Heath retirement village. The village is a 30-minute cycle from Chester city centre.

The site will feature a restaurant, café, and wellness area as part of Retirement Village’s Thrive Living collection, designed to promote active and independent lifestyles.

Plans also include a sustainable transport hub to provide cycle hire and electric vehicle charging points in order to reach net zero carbon emissions. Additionally, renewable energy sources will be used on site.

The apartments will be spread across six villas. Credit: via Font Comms

Plans were submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council in May 2022, following a lengthy consultation process.

Will Bax, chief executive of Retirement Villages Group, said: “We’re incredibly excited to have broken ground on building our newest community in Chester.

“It’s clear that we are not alone in wanting more positive life choices for older people.

“We’ve been delighted by the high level of local interest and engagement”, he added. “It’s clear this is an extension to the city, and we’ve shaped our proposals with facilities and amenities that respond to the community needs.”

Stantec is the scheme’s planning consultant. Also on the project team are landscape architect Fabrik, transport consultant Vectos, and arboricultural consultant DEP. Quad is consulting on flood risk and drainage strategy.

To find out more about the plans, search for application number 22/02075/S73 on CWAC’s planning portal.

The Boughton Heath site is Retirement Village’s first in the North West with a total of 16 sites across the UK, from Cornwall to Lincolnshire.

The company was purchased by European insurance and investment company, AXA IM Real Assets, in 2017 with plans to deliver 5,000 new homes across 40 sites over the next 40 years.