Later living developer-operator Untold Living has submitted plans to Eastbourne Borough Council for a 139-home seafront integrated retirement community (IRC).
The mid-market retirement specialist, which is backed by Matter Real Estate, completed the acquisition of a prime 2.5-acre seafront site at Sovereign Harbour in November from Birch Limited, a Richardson family company.
Subject to planning consent, Untold Living will deliver an IRC comprising a range of one and two-bedroom apartments overlooking the English Channel.
The development will include a range of high-quality amenity spaces, some of which it intends to make available for use by the wider Eastbourne community.
The scheme, designed by architects Gaunt Francis, will provide much needed, high-quality, independent later living accommodation to the older elderly in Eastbourne and beyond.
Homes will be available across a range of different mid-market tenures, including to buy, for rent and purchase via shared ownership.
Russell Jewell, CEO at Untold Living, said:
“The urgent need for more purpose-built later living accommodation in the UK cannot be overstated, particularly in East Sussex, where the population of over-70s is growing more quickly than the national average.
“Many thousands of older people are living in accommodation that is wholly unsuitable to their needs, which poses a serious risk to their mental and physical wellbeing.
“Our Eastbourne scheme will not only offer round-the-clock care and support to residents when needed but also relieve pressure on local health and social services by lowering the frequency of residents’ hospital and GP visits.
“We are grateful to the people of Eastbourne for all of the valuable feedback we have received so far and look forward to announcing further details in due course.”
It comes after Untold Living launched a consultation to which members of the public, the council, and local interest groups were invited, to gather feedback on the proposed plans and to ensure it is designed to serve the entire community – not just the older population.
The Eastbourne scheme is the newest addition to Untold Living’s portfolio alongside an existing retirement community in Westbury, Wiltshire and sites in Crawley, West Sussex, and Newport, Shropshire.
Untold Living is targeting a GDV of £300m for its initial development pipeline. The developer-operator is actively seeking to acquire other suitable sites and assets across the UK to expand its portfolio and is open to discussions with landowners, landlords and agents.
Untold Living will contribute to the 50,000 new purpose-built homes required for older people in the UK each year, tackling the acute shortage of adequate later living accommodation.