A provider of rented retired homes has acquired an apartment development in London. Birchgrove has bought a total of 78 apartments in Hampton Court growing its portfolio across the South-East. The £39 million deal has been completed with Octagon Developments, who design and build high quality homes throughout Southern England.
Westminster City Council has given its backing to Squire & Partners-designed proposals for a 10-storey luxury care facility near the River Thames and Smith Square. The practice’s plans for care-home operator Medici Lifecare will see the demolition of 1930s Art Deco block Dean Bradley House, which stands on Horseferry Road,
Beard Construction has completed two deluxe Signature Senior Lifestyle care homes under projects worth a combined £24.8m. The two projects – Signature at Caversham, in Berkshire, and Signature at Farnham Common, in Buckinghamshire – provide luxury, high-end apartments and residential communities for residents, delivering nursing, respite and dementia care. High-end
Developer Charterpoint, in a joint venture with landowner, The Drummond Estate, has applied for planning permission to build a new local centre and a 66-bed care home on land at New Lubbesthorpe, a pioneering new community in Blaby, Leicestershire. The mixed-use scheme features a two-storey local centre which will house
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of a site with the benefit of a full planning consent in the market town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to LNT Care Developments. Full planning permission was granted in September 2019 for the demolition of existing buildings on the circa
Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group and a leading UK specialist real estate lender and investor, has announced its commitment to building new care home developments that are net zero by 2030, marking the first such pledge across the care home industry. In addition to funding new developments to
The £2.3 million extension and refurbishment project to a Warwickshire-based care home owned and run by The Royal British Legion will be delivered by construction and refurbishment specialist, J Tomlinson. Galanos House is one of six care homes owned by the Legion, exclusively providing short and long-term care to serving
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A provider of rented retired homes has acquired an apartment development in London. Birchgrove has bought a total of 78 apartments in Hampton Court growing its portfolio across the South-East. The £39 million deal has been completed with Octagon Developments, who design and build high quality homes throughout Southern England. Octagon Developments will deliver the apartments on a turnkey basis by 2025. This is Birchgrove’s eighth development with their equity partners Bridges Fund Management and follows the successful exit of its first two neighbourhoods to M&G last year. The debt is provided by Beaufort Capital and is their fourth deal with Birchgrove. The project’s GDV is forecast to increase to £68m once all units are fully let. The development will provide 78 contemporary, self-contained assisted living one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments available to independently minded renters aged over 65, together with extensive communal facilities including a restaurant, club room, licensed bar, wellness suite, library and landscaped gardens. Honor Barratt, Chief Executive, Birchgrove said: “Our new site at Hampton Court will encapsulate all the benefits of the Birchgrove offering: beautiful, purpose-built apartments, a flexible rental model, publicly accessible communal spaces and a development that frees up homes for local families. Imagine being able to sit on your balcony and look over the Thames into the back garden of Henry VIII – who wouldn’t want to live like that? “With more and more retirees looking to rent, London is firmly in our sights to expand our portfolio, and having secured sites in Chiswick and Hampton Court we look forward to announcing further exciting news in the capital soon.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Westminster City Council has given its backing to Squire & Partners-designed proposals for a 10-storey luxury care facility near the River Thames and Smith Square. The practice’s plans for care-home operator Medici Lifecare will see the demolition of 1930s Art Deco block Dean Bradley House, which stands on Horseferry Road, to make way for the development. The eight-storey office building is not nationally listed, but is a local “building of merit” in the Smith Square Conservation Area. Squire’s proposals are a rejig of a 2017 approval for the site for developer Mayfair Charities. That consent was for a new office, retail and residential block, but it was not implemented. Members of Westminster’s Planning Committee on Tuesday granted Squire and Medici Lifecare consent for a “flexible” scheme allowing the new building to be used either as a care home or as a post-operative care facility with clinical and retail elements. The care-home version would include 134 living units along with a library, restaurant, communal lounges and quiet rooms, therapy rooms, an art studio and a hydrotherapy pool. The alternative plan would offer 40 post operative care units, a hydrotherapy pool, 6,152sq m of space for clinical use, and two non-food shop units at ground-floor level. Both versions deliver new structures with a gross internal area of around 10,360sq m – an uplift of more than 3,000sq m on the current building. Squire said its proposals were a low-carbon development that would deliver much-needed healthcare infrastructure in an all-electric building. Partner Murray Levinson said the practice’s design took inspiration from the adjacent grade II-listed Belgravia House building, while its red-brick panels and Portland stone piers reflected styles found in the conservation area. “Our design complements the grandeur of brick and stone buildings in the conservation area, where a tripartite elevation of a central stone bay is flanked by brick wings,” he said. Toby Burgess, Head of Corporate Strategy and Property Development at Medici Lifecare said: “Successfully obtaining planning consent, for one of prime Central London’s few Landmark Healthcare Facilities, continues to demonstrate our ability to overcome the high barriers of entry within our healthcare model.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Beard Construction has completed two deluxe Signature Senior Lifestyle care homes under projects worth a combined £24.8m. The two projects – Signature at Caversham, in Berkshire, and Signature at Farnham Common, in Buckinghamshire – provide luxury, high-end apartments and residential communities for residents, delivering nursing, respite and dementia care. High-end materials and finishes – combined with Beard’s reputation for building excellence and quality – ensure five-star hotel comfort across both care homes. Farnham Common, which opened in January 2023, offers luxury assisted living and nursing in 74 studio-style apartments with private wet rooms, alongside facilities which include a café, restaurant, cinema, lounge areas, activity room, a pub, spa bathrooms, hair salon and therapy room. Officially opening in February 2023, Caversham is a four-floor care home with 86 apartments, split across a sloping site with views across to the Caversham lakes. Communal facilities will include the same range of facilities as Farnham Common on hand to residents. Both homes have been constructed from brick and render. Farnham’s roof is a tiled, mono ridge design while Caversham’s is Sarnafil topped with pebbles and lined with paving. Both projects remained operational during the second wave of the Covid pandemic with enhanced health and safety procedures designed to keep staff safe. Beard director Mike Hedges said: “The care sector is important to us, and our expertise means we can help clients to meet the increasing demand for the very best in assisted living spaces. Signature’s attention to detail in these homes and the high level of fit and finish is testament to the quality of living and care demanded by modern-day residents. “Beard’s core aim is to build with ambition and this project more than lives up to that ethos.” Alex Alexandru, General Manager at Signature at Farnham Common, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Beard to demonstrate what is possible in care home design. “As a community within a community, Signature at Farnham Common offers excellent residential, nursing, dementia, and respite care in luxury surroundings. “Our care home has been designed to be a hub of activity, with a host of communal spaces and social activities for residents, supported by highly trained team members committed to delivering true peace of mind to residents, relatives and their loved ones.” Carmela Magbitang, General Manager at Signature at Caversham said: “Signature at Caversham provides a warm, welcoming and luxury community which will offer industry-leading care, luxurious facilities and surroundings along with top-quality dining and nutrition. “We look forward to working in partnership with the communities we serve, both inside and outside of our home. We are also delighted to have partnered once more with Beard, who have meticulously supported us to realise our aspirations for excellence in this project.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Developer Charterpoint, in a joint venture with landowner, The Drummond Estate, has applied for planning permission to build a new local centre and a 66-bed care home on land at New Lubbesthorpe, a pioneering new community in Blaby, Leicestershire. The mixed-use scheme features a two-storey local centre which will house a Sainsbury’s Local store and four additional units for retail, including a café/bistro on the ground floor. The first floor will be occupied by Forest House Medical Centre. The plans submitted to Blaby District Council include a 66-bed modern care home to be built over two and three storeys, which would be delivered by senior living specialist Charterpoint. New Lubbesthorpe Local Centre is the first retail scheme for the new community, which will eventually feature more than 4,000 new homes. The local centre and the care home – designed by Franklin Ellis Architects – have already received outline planning permission and will complete the development of the Tay Road feature square that also includes the successful New Lubbesthorpe Primary School. Charterpoint Managing Director, Giles Nursey, said: “New Lubbesthorpe is an exciting, vibrant community set in a great countryside location just 20 minutes from Leicester city centre and ten minutes from Fosse Park Retail Centre. “Charterpoint has carefully developed designs for the first of two local centres planned for the site, plus an adjacent care home, and we are very pleased to have now submitted a reserved matters planning application to Blaby District Council as the next part of the development process.” Martin Ward, a trustee of the Drummond Estate, said: “Community facilities, such as these, are vital to maintain the fantastic sense of community we have created at New Lubbesthorpe. The new local centre will complement the successful primary school and will be welcomed by those already living here and the new residents moving to site.” New Lubbesthorpe is a pioneering new community set in 325 acres of new parklands and wetlands, south of Leicester Forest East. Around 780 of the 4,250 homes have so far been built and occupied. It is expected that work will begin on site for the new local centre and the care home in spring 2023, subject to planning permission. Charterpoint, which is based at Edwalton near Nottingham, specialises in developing mixed-use and sustainable housing schemes, first-class senior living accommodation, and primary care premises. For more information about Charterpoint, visit www.charterpointgroup.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of a site with the benefit of a full planning consent in the market town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to LNT Care Developments. Full planning permission was granted in September 2019 for the demolition of existing buildings on the circa 1.3-acre site as well as the erection of a new 78-bedroom care home in one three-storey block. Situated in a highly visible roadside location, the consented care development is close to Nuneaton town centre and is well placed to benefit from desirable community amenities and public transport connections. The site was previously owned by Linden Homes, and has now been sold to LNT Care Developments, the largest provider of carbon-zero, affordable and high-quality care homes in the UK. Plans have been submitted to Nuneaton and Bedworth County Council for a care home development comprising 66 beds with social spaces including a cinema room, health and beauty facilities, garden room, and café bar. External features include attractively landscaped gardens to enhance wellbeing whilst boosting the ecological value with use of pollinating, habitat friendly sensory planting. The building is designed to be resource and energy efficient with a key aim of generating the majority of the care home’s energy needs on-site using solar power and ground source heating. Speaking on behalf of LNT Group, Land Director, Keeley Sharp, comments, “LNT Care Developments is delighted to have acquired this scheme in Nuneaton, adding to an established and emerging pipeline of sites across the Midlands and in line with our strategy to continue to address the shortfall in quality care provision across the UK. Detailed planning has been submitted for a 66-bedroom care home, providing outstanding accommodation with fully en-suite bedrooms, spacious communal areas, and state-of-the-art amenities with a planned construction commencement September 2022.” Sara Hartill, Business Agent – Healthcare Development at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “A care home development site in this location is well suited to the needs of future residents and will integrate well into the town as a vital community asset where there was a demonstrable need for a new, purpose-built care home.” David Charles of Linden Homes added, “We are delighted that LNT acquired the site and plan to develop a care home for the elderly which is much needed in the area and we look forward to seeing the site develop.” The Nuneaton site was sold for an undisclosed price.
Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group and a leading UK specialist real estate lender and investor, has announced its commitment to building new care home developments that are net zero by 2030, marking the first such pledge across the care home industry. In addition to funding new developments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, Octopus will make significant investments into its existing portfolio of 71 care homes across the UK to retrofit these properties. It has committed to making these care homes and 13 properties currently under construction net zero by 2040. The pledges will ensure Octopus, as a leading investor and landlord in UK care homes, is driving the industry towards higher energy efficiency standards. The two net zero commitments were met with unbridled support from the institutional investors who invest in Octopus’ care homes strategy, demonstrating the demand among pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds and family offices for assets that are contributing to the UK’s energy transition requirements. The commitments also reflect Octopus Group’s commitment to reach net zero by 2030. As part of its commitments, where needed, Octopus will work to minimise and offset the embodied carbon in the construction process of its new developments, including through UK Government-approved, high-quality certified carbon sequestration projects. Michael Toft, Care Home Senior Fund Manager, Octopus Real Estate, commented: “We are incredibly proud to be the first investor and landlord in UK care homes to commit to net zero targets. We see it as a natural extension of our role as a leading player in the care home sector and our passionate belief as a Group that people and the planet deserve better. Our commitments place us ahead of both the UK Government’s net zero targets and the Paris Agreement targets. Octopus Real Estate’s investors overwhelmingly supported these pledges, mirroring their overarching support for our care home strategy, which helps them to achieve genuine impact for society while generating financial returns.” Benjamin Davis, CEO, Octopus Real Estate, commented: “This announcement fits into wider sustainability initiatives within Octopus Real Estate, including our Greener Homes Alliance with Homes England, which is funding the development of energy efficient homes across England. It reflects our strident belief that companies will increasingly be judged on how they are building a better tomorrow and should be seen as a clear marker of intent for our objectives and strategy. We have been delighted with the stamp of approval we have received from our investors for this approach so far.” The Octopus care homes strategy offers institutional investors an impact investment opportunity – achieving social benefits for the ageing population through investing in elderly care homes and specialist care. The strong fundamentals of healthcare infrastructure investment, including sustainable, inflation-linked income, risk-adjusted returns, and supportive demographics, continue to attract significant institutional investor demand.
The £2.3 million extension and refurbishment project to a Warwickshire-based care home owned and run by The Royal British Legion will be delivered by construction and refurbishment specialist, J Tomlinson. Galanos House is one of six care homes owned by the Legion, exclusively providing short and long-term care to serving and ex-service individuals and their dependants. The construction work consists of two extensions, which will provide ten additional dementia care bedrooms to the home’s award-winning Poppy Lodge and a new Community Hub which will include a new day care facility, café and treatment rooms. In addition, J Tomlinson will also be providing associated landscaped gardens and extended car parking to support increased occupancy within Galanos House upon completion of the extension. “We are delighted to work with The Royal British Legion on this project, which will provide additional space for individuals requiring extra care,” said Pete Woods, director (commercial refurbishment) at J Tomlinson. “As a business, we are active supporters of the armed forces community, having recently been recognised as a Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award winner after signing the armed forces covenant during early 2017. We look forward to working with the Legion as the project gets underway,” Pete continued. The care home project will begin in late November and is due to complete autumn 2019. Founded by veterans after the first world war, The Royal British Legion is dedicated to supporting the Armed Forces community through a variety of means including rehabilitation courses, careers advice and specialist accommodation. “We are very excited about this new development, which will provide much-needed high quality facilities for our beneficiaries and a new hub that will serve residents, their families and friends, and also the wider community. We look forward to J Tomlinson joining the project team to finally bring this development to fruition,” added Paul Gillam, head of property development at The Royal British Legion. Nottingham-based J Tomlinson specialises in delivering a range of integrated building solutions to a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, extra care, bluelight, education, social housing, student accommodation and commercial/industrial. As a Dementia-Friendly organisation, the company has been instrumental in the delivery of unobtrusive building projects to specialist care environments, working with clients including MHA, HC One and Housing & Care 21.
