Surrey Homes | SH42 | April 2018 | Garden supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH
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1.
Later living it up
Maggie Alderson is looking forward to the
next of life’s housing stages
Life’s housing stages used to divide up neatly into parental home, first
home and family home… then it all got a bit vague. If you were lucky
there would be a granny flat arrangement with one of the sprogs, if not
there were very few options, especially once the point was reached when even a
retirement bungalow got a bit much to deal with.
How quickly and brilliantly that has all changed, with the dawn of the
appealing concept of ‘later years living’, with the emphasis very much on the
word living. That’s how we think about the stage after the family home years
now, another style of living, not a custodial sentence. Something to look
forward to.
Now there is a whole new genre of retirement living options, with
developments so well designed that, rather than induce regret at the house
and environs left behind, they can inspire a whole new lease of energy, with
an invigorated social life. And not having to worry about roofs, gutters, lawns,
fallen leaves etc ever again. The joy.
I consider myself particularly well versed in this segment of the property
market, having researched it very thoroughly for my mother and being so
impressed with what I saw, I was inspired to set a large part of the action in my
most recent novel in a glamorous retirement development (The Scent of You, out
in June).
The apartments themselves, in every later years set-up I visited, are sleek and
thoughtfully equipped to take unnecessary little irritants out of daily life, with
luxuries such as electric windows, illuminated light switches at elbow height
and front doors that don’t lock automatically on closure.
I can also attest to the quality of the social aspect. Lunch with my mum’s
new group of friends is a riot and the wine flows. Here are some of the best
retirement developments currently on the market.
1. Lynwood Village
Where? Lynwood Village is set in
Sunninghill, near Ascot, one of the most
desirable locations in Berkshire. Windsor
Great Park, Savill Gardens, Virginia
Water and the world-class golf courses of
Wentworth, Sunningdale and Royal Ascot
are all nearby and it’s less than an hour by
train to London Waterloo.
What? Lynwood Village is an awardwinning
retirement community for over
65s with an impressive range of facilities,
beautifully designed, with apartments
and duplexes with one, two, three or four
bedrooms, or two-bedroom cottages.
Central facilities include a restaurant,
coffee shop, swimming pool, hair salon,
shop, spa, therapy centre, bowls, croquet
and snooker. There is a busy programme
of activities, events and excursions, plus a
24-hour concierge and home care service.
Should owners’ needs change Lynwood
Care Centre is located on the same site,
providing life-enhancing residential care.
How much? Prices range from
£415,000 for a one bedroom apartment,
to £1,580,000 for four bedrooms. 01344
874250 lynwoodvillage.co.uk
surrey-homes.co.uk
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