26 RETIREMENT LIVING PROJECT REPORT


Birchgrove’s business is relatively rare in a sector more commonly geared to selling apartments, but the company believes it is onto a winning formula which works for customers and that will drive a steady construction programme as it seeks out more sites.


Beresford comments further on the


BUILDING ACCOMMODATION FOR RENT MEANS THAT BIRCHGROVE CANNOT SIMPLY FINISH A JOB AND WALK AWAY


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benefi ts of the BT model e believe rental is a bit cheaper and more fl eible for people. They can ust write one cheque per month for the rent which covers the service charge and monthly activities, plus the gym and other communal facilities. hen the company was founded, he says, offering rental was a key differentiator which is appropriate for later life There was only the purchase option available to older people, and rental gave people more choice.” ur average age of tenant is , he eplains most people are not really looking to buy another product at that age. e adds n our developments they can age in place [meaning residents can stay in their retirement community even if their care needs change signifi cantly and not have the hassle of maintaining an eisting home with all the stresses associated with a house, garden, having to navigate stairs, and operate in a


kitchen that’s most probably not suitable for an older person.”


lder people are not of course necessarily inactive, and this has seen Birchgrove to seek out sites which are in and around towns, which consequently tend to be brownfi eld. eople still want to access local services so building on a remote greenfi eld site would be unlikely to attract custom.


The companys chief eecutive onor Barratt has big ambitions, and wants a Birchgrove in every town” in the long term. For now, the developer is seeking sites in the south east near the , where all its eisting development can be found. epperpot ouse is the companys fi fth completed scheme and it also recently opened Ayrton House in Mill Hill, its fi rst in reater ondon. t has four proects under construction in ampton, eatherhead, Banstead and hiswick. Beresford says ere actively searching for more sites, we’re trying to build a pipeline to progress through this year and into the net few years, and the south east remains the focus for this initial growth phase.


He asserts that the company’s work is not ust about getting land and churning


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