Birchgrove sets new off-plan benchmark with opening of fifth development in Godalming

New 52-unit development 40% reserved on opening day, giving it a thriving community on day one and surpassing previous pre-let rates in its portfolio

Birchgrove, the UK’s leading provider of rented retirement homes, has now opened its latest development in Surrey with an impressive 40% of the apartments already reserved off-plan.

The 52-unit Pepperpot House development in Godalming is set in the heart of the historic market town on a 1.02-acre plot that was previously home to Mole Country Stores, a site which had stood empty since September 2017. As part of the redevelopment, the Grade II-listed Cowshed at the entrance to the site was fully restored to provide two one-bed apartments.

The community offers high-quality one and two-bed self-contained rented apartments to independently minded people over 65. Communal facilities include a 24-hour concierge service, café/restaurant, licensed bar, wellness suite, salon and landscaped roof terrace with a lounge offering views over Godalming to the Surrey Hills.

The 40% pre-let rate of Pepperpot House exceeds Birchgrove’s previous record for the percentage of apartments reserved prior to opening, with its Lower Mill development in Ewell, Surrey having been 36% reserved when it opened in May 2022.

Honor Barratt, Chief Executive of Birchgrove, said:“We’re delighted that so many of the apartments at Pepperpot House have been snapped up in advance of opening. It helps that we were able to secure such a central location and we’re really pleased to have been able to bring a disused site back to life.

“We also know that much of the reason for our off-plan success here is that we were able to show prospective residents our other thriving local communities to give them an idea of what it’s like to live in one of our developments. We believe we’re firmly on a roll now and are confident we can achieve even higher pre-let rates as we roll our successful rental retirement living model out further across the country.”

The development is the fifth addition to open since the Birchgrove portfolio was founded in 2017. Birchgrove also operates four other retirement communities in the South-East, with one of these now at full capacity and operating a waiting list. Among its operational developments is the recently opened Ayrton House in Mill Hill, Birchgrove’s first community in Greater London. It also has four additional communities under construction, with new locations being developed in Hampton, Leatherhead, Banstead and Chiswick.