Frequently asked questions

We are creating a new integrated retirement community on the site of the former Beechmoor Garden Centre on Whitchurch Road in Boughton Heath.

It will include 155 apartments set over six villas, where residents can continue to live independently, with a host of facilities and services available to enrich the quality of life and to provide support if and when it is needed.

Designed to be an extension of the existing community, the development will provide a range of amenities that local people will be able to use, including a new restaurant, café and wellness area, with a fitness studio and treatment rooms. Locals will also be able to use the community square and walking and cycling routes which will wind through the development.

Our vision is to put older people back at the heart of our communities with an offering that supports independence and longevity; helping people to continue living life as they choose for longer, safe in the knowledge that care and support are available when and if they need it.

Our ambitions for the site include:

• An active and sociable community engaged in culture and shared experiences – all within a hop, skip, and a jump of beautiful central Chester
• High quality design that reflects the local character with apartments set over six villas.
• A whole life net zero carbon community with low-energy buildings and use of renewable energy sources.
• Encouraging green modes of transport with walking and cycling routes, a sustainable transport hub with cycles for hire and electric car charging.
• Improving wellbeing through generously sized homes, with lots of natural light and adaptable to residents’ way of life.
• Communal facilities and outdoor areas which will support our residents to have an active and sociable lifestyle that can also be shared with friends and family and the wider community.
• Increasing biodiversity with green and open spaces where residents and visitors can walk and cycle, including extensive gardens and a community square

There will be homes both for rent and for sale.

As with any community, the needs will vary depending on the individual. The retirement community will include a level of healthcare provision for people to access on site. Evidence shows that moving into a community, that is specifically designed for older people actually helps maintain people’s well-being. When people have a strong community and an active lifestyle they need less healthcare support because they are happy and supported.

We believe that our communities should be open and useful places for people living nearby so we’re planning a variety of amenities that local people can also use.

We want to encourage the local community and people using the Park and Ride to enjoy the public spaces within the community. We’ve taken on board your views on what kind of facilities you’d like to see and that these shouldn’t compete with what’s already in Boughton Heath.

These will include:

• A new restaurant and café where you can sit and enjoy a coffee or grab a takeout on your way to the Park and Ride
• A wellness suite with fitness studio and treatment rooms for residents and members to use new restaurant, café and wellness area, with a
• Open spaces and a community square
• Walking and cycle routes through the site connecting to the canal cycle network
• A sustainable transport hub with cycles for hire meaning people using the Park and Ride could cycle into Chester

People aged 65 and over (including couples where one person is younger than 65) will be welcome to make the community their home. An integrated retirement community is not a care home, and will be attractive to people who want to live independently but with the ease of life and reassurance that comes from having amenities and services close at hand including care and support when needed.

People choose us as their home at a variety of ages for a range of reasons, but having done so really enjoy being able to continue to live life as they choose whilst enjoying all the village offers and many say they wish they’d moved sooner. Whether they want to stay active within the community, continue paid or voluntary work, spend more time with their families, put their feet-up or all of the above, we’ll be there to help make it easy and enjoyable.

Our plans will deliver a wide range of benefits for the local community:

• A café where you can sit and enjoy a coffee or grab a takeout on your way to the Park and Ride
• A wellness suite with a fitness studio and treatment rooms for residents and members to use.
• Open spaces and a community square
• Walking and cycle routes through the site connecting to the canal cycle network
• A sustainable transport hub with cycles for hire meaning people using the Park and Ride could cycle into Chester
• A £39m boost to the local economy, creating more than 300 jobs through the construction process
• Increase spending in the local area by £1.5 million every year
• Create 300 jobs through the construction process with a commitment to sourcing suppliers and materials within 25 miles of the site.
• 30 full time on-site jobs

The development will provide a boost to the local economy creating around 30 jobs when the site is completed.