Welcome. About McCarthy & Stone

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1 Welcome Community consultation is extremely important to McCarthy & Stone, and as such, we urge you to complete one of our feedback forms once you have reviewed the draft plans on display today. Your views will be considered prior to a formal planning application being made to the council later in the year. Thank you for your time. About McCarthy & Stone Most people would like to live in their own homes throughout their lives. Unfortunately, it can become an uphill struggle to maintain a much-loved family home and garden, so choices need to be made to find a smaller home that continues to provide independence. All McCarthy & Stone developments are specifically designed to provide specialised housing accommodation for the elderly. The privately owned apartments are occupied by people over 60 years, or in the case of a couple, one of the occupants needs to be over the age of 60 years and the other over the age of 55 years. Typically, the average age on entry is 78. All McCarthy & Stone retirement living developments feature: High standards of design, construction and finishes; Friendly staff; and the sense of community that residents build up among themselves; A residents lounge and other communal facilities; Attractive communal gardens; House manager; Secure entry systems; Guest accommodation. A key feature is independence with choice McCarthy & Stone residents enjoy independence, safe in the knowledge that help is never far away if required. Residents of McCarthy & Stone developments have their own front doors and privacy just as they did in their last family homes. They are free to join in community activities or to pursue their own interests as they please, knowing that they need not be alone when they want company.

2 Background The proposal site is situated on Cambridge Road, close to the junction with Tower Road, and lies within Ely Conservation Area. The site is occupied by a substantial two and a half storey detached building with large grounds in a secluded setting. The building was originally a private house but has most recently been occupied as offices and a day care centre. It is due to become vacant, and is being offered for redevelopment. The existing building, which comprises red brick with a gabled frontage and pitched roofs, is well screened from the road by mature trees and landscaping. Vehicular access is from Cambridge Road, with parking currently provided on the frontage of the site. View of the site The rear of the site comprises a large area of garden enclosed by mature landscaping, with significant trees particularly to the southern and eastern boundaries, including a number of trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), providing a secluded setting. The site is in a predominantly residential area, characterised by mainly two and three storey buildings. It is neighboured by residential properties, with large detached dwellings to either side along Cambridge Road, and single storey bungalows to the side and rear in Houghton Gardens. View of the site The proposals look to preserve and enhance the quality and character of the Conservation Area, retaining part of the existing building, including the frontage, and providing a sustainable new development to the rear. This site is in a highly accessible location, ideally located for housing for older people, within close walking distance of all the local shops and services within the centre of Ely. View of the site St John s Road St. Mary s St Cambridge Road Surrounding local area view along Cambridge Road Houghton Gardens THE SITE Tower Road Surrounding local area view along Cambridge Road Barton Road Tower Road Cambridge Road Aerial view Witchford Surrounding local area view from Houghton Gardens

3 The proposal McCarthy and Stone is planning to redevelop the site with a development providing approximately 22 one and two bedroom Later Living apartments, specifically designed to meet the needs of older people, together with on-site car parking and attractive communal landscaped gardens. The proposed scheme retains the majority of the existing building, with the addition of a new building extending to the rear, which would be similar in height to the existing building. The proposals aim to deliver a number of benefits for the local area by: Securing the future of the site and the existing building with a beneficial residential redevelopment. Increasing the range of housing choice for people in the area, and addressing the specific need for housing for older people, in a sustainable and accessible location. Providing a high quality new building, reflecting local materials and architectural styles, which responds to the site s context and, together with the retained building, makes a positive contribution to the character of the surrounding Conservation Area. Creating a high quality landscaped setting with attractive boundary treatments and planting, taking account of existing mature landscape features. Offering low traffic generation and car usage compared with alternative uses. Cambridge Road Houghton Gardens Proposed aerial view Local design precedents and materials

4 Proposals Proposed design aims: The proposal will retain the frontage, side elevation and roof line of the existing building, preserving the character of the existing street-scene, with a new building added to the rear. The new building will reflect the scale, proportion and materials of local buildings, and will be to a high quality, contemporary architectural design which will provide an appropriate addition to the existing building. The height of the proposed building will be similar in height to the existing building and will take account of the height of immediate neighbours. The building s scale, massing and its relationship to the site boundaries have been considered. The building responds to the site constraints and reduces in height to respect the neighbouring properties. The elevations will be sensitively designed, with particular attention to the orientation of windows, and provision of obscure glazed balcony screens shielding views towards neighbours. A landscaped communal garden will surround the building, providing an attractive outlook for apartments and quality amenity space. The majority of the existing mature trees will be retained, preserving the setting and character of the site. Cars will be accommodated in the existing driveway, providing parking for 13 vehicles. In addition there will be a covered recharging area for electric buggies. Street-scene view from Cambridge Road Photograph from Cambridge Road View from garden (along north elevation) View from front frontage Section drawing Site plan View from garden (along south elevation)

5 Inside a McCarthy & Stone development McCarthy & Stone developments offer older residents independent living, with additional assistance when they need it. Schemes are designed to Lifetime Homes standards, with step free access throughout the building and all apartments adaptable for wheelchair use; Schemes have a minimum age restriction of 60 for a single person and 55 for a second person or partner living in the same apartment; However, the average age of residents in McCarthy & Stone developments is 78; High standards of design, construction and finishes; Friendly staff; and the sense of community that residents build up among themselves; A residents lounge and other communal facilities; Attractive communal gardens; House manager; Secure entry systems; Guest accommodation. Typical layout of one bed apartment Typical layout of two bed apartment Bedroom Bathroom Kitchen Lounge Residents lounge Guest suite

6 Existing McCarthy & Stone developments Mills Court, Mere Green Owen Court, Sutton Coldfield Clarckson Court, Woodbridge Mills Court, Mere Green Royal Arch Court, Norwich Lalgates Court, Northampton

7 Landscaping McCarthy & Stone ensure all developments have a good proportion of landscaping in every development. This is always to a very high quality, providing attractive communal gardens for residents. Where possible existing tree and shrub cover will be retained to provide an established landscape framework and to ensure the retention of wildlife features. The area immediately around the building will be planted with ornamental species. The boundaries of the development will be enhanced with a mix of both native and ornamental species to provide ecological and horticultural interest. As with all McCarthy & Stone s developments, a management company will maintain the grounds to ensure they develop and mature to enhance both the building and the local neighbourhood. Knights Court, Balsall Common Owen Court, Sutton Coldfield Clarkson Court, Woodbridge Penny & Damson Court, Tamworth Example schemes Ainsworth Court, Holt Holme Oaks Court, Ipswich Previous developments have won national awards for high standards and quality across the UK.

8 Impact on local area Traffic McCarthy & Stone developments generate low traffic movements compared to general market housing. Residents tend to use their cars very little, hence the move to retirement housing in an accessible location. Residents who do own a car tend not to use a car in peak hours, nor need to use a car on a day to day basis due to the locations chosen, which are always within walking distances to local shops and services. The local economy The development would also benefit the economy of the local area: One in three McCarthy & Stone residents walk to the local shops each day; 45% of current residents buy the bulk of their shopping within a 1 mile radius; 62% of retirement living housing residents prefer to shop at local centres rather than large town centres. Environment/ sustainability McCarthy & Stone is committed to developing sustainable schemes. All schemes have high standard insulation, energy efficient appliances and are generally situated close to local amenities / public transport links, keeping the carbon footprint of our residents low. With the Government recently issuing guidelines for the creation of sustainable homes, set against a number of ratings, McCarthy & Stone will be working hard to achieve a scheme that seeks to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Parking While future residents may own cars, they are unlikely to significantly increase traffic levels. Residents tend not to use a vehicle due to the central location of the developments, most residents find they are able to walk to nearby facilities or make use of nearby bus services. As a result residents who own a car tend to relinquish the burden of car ownership once they have opted to move to specialist retirement housing. The parking area will have spaces for visitors as well as being barrier operated. The number of spaces provided reflects parking demand experienced by previous McCarthy & Stone schemes in the surrounding areas.

9 Next steps We hope that you found this exhibition helpful and we look forward to receiving your comments. The next steps for the team will be to review all the feedback from the local community and other interested parties. Following this and further discussions with the council, we will develop the proposals taking into account local comments. We will ensure that the local community remains informed and updated on the progress of the proposals. Should you have any further questions or comments over the coming weeks, we would be pleased to hear from you. Feedback form Let us know what you think Do you welcome the provision of specialist housing for local older people in your area? Do you consider that this is a good use of this site for specialist housing for local older people? Do you have any comments on the design and layout of the proposals? Feedback form Let us know what you think Do you have any general comments about the proposals? Name: Address: Completed McCarthy & Stone developments Postcode: Telephone: Please keep me informed of changes to this application Thank you again for your interest. Freephone information line feedback@consultation-online.co.uk