Our Proposals
The proposed development would provide a high-quality three storey apartment building of 29x one-bedroom and 16x two-bedroom apartments with a total of 45 living units. The proposals also include 15 unallocated parking spaces for the apartments
Residents will benefit from a communal Owner’s Lounge as well as a coffee bar to promote social interaction between residents. Residents will also benefit from improved landscaped garden spaces.
All developments by Churchill Living provide high quality landscape amenity gardens, designed for passive exercise and the visual enjoyment of residents over 60 years of age, rather than active recreational uses. Planting is considered for longevity, colour all year, seasonal change, maintenance and local native biodiversity. Churchill Living have won awards for excellence for their landscaped gardens.
Parking
The proposal includes 15 unallocated parking spaces for the apartments in addition to parking for electric mobility buggies.
The typical age profile of those currently living at a Churchill retirement community is an 80-year old widow. Generally, 50% of residents also come from within a 5-mile radius of the location.
Given the above, residents of Churchill communities tend to not have cars. It is also generally found that those who do initially have cars tend to give them up soon after moving into a lodge as they no longer need it given the sustainable location and neighbourly living environment. This will be particularly prevalent to Thirsk given the sustainable nature of this development, with immediate access to local facilities and amenities, as well as strong public transport connections.
As retirement living is a very different operational use than residential or care home developments, Churchill has developed an evidence base across several existing Churchill developments. This concludes that Churchill’s existing sites typically have a parking demand of 0.28 spaces per apartment.
As such, the parking demand forecast for the 45 apartments proposed will be approximately 12.6 parking spaces. Churchill is proposing 15 parking spaces to cater for the apartments, at a ratio of 0.33 spaces per apartment, which is likely to exceed the need for parking at any given time.
Need for Retirement Living
The Councils most up to date housing information dates to the Hambleton Strategic Housing Market Assessment (January 2016).
The report succinctly sets out the current population statistics specifically to older persons, as well as calculating the future need for housing this growing population. It is firstly highlighted that Hambleton has a higher population of older people than both the region (North Yorkshire) and England.
The SHMA takes this further and sets out that from 2014, the older population is expected to more than double (52%) over a period of 21 years. This is compared to an overall population growth of 9% and a decrease in the Under 65 population of 5%.
In terms of housing requirements, as per the 2014 data there was a supply of 178 units of sheltered/retirement housing in the Hambleton area, which equated to 34 units per 1,000 people aged 75 years +.. The report also sets out to meet the future needs of the ageing population, there would be a need for 1,423 additional units of specialist housing by 2035. This presented a significant undersupply of suitable housing options for older people.
Given these figures are now over a decade old, it is prevalent to also refer to the ONS Census Data (2021) which sets out for Hambleton there has been an increase of 27.9% in people aged 65 years and over between 2011 and 2021, coupled with a decrease of people aged below 65 years. This presents a skew in the population of Hambleton towards a significantly ageing population.
Given both sets of data confirm there is a clear and demonstrable ageing population in the Hambleton area, as well as the SHMA highlighting the severe under supply of suitable housing options, the redevelopment of this site for older persons housing should be weighted accordingly.
Flooding
Churchill is aware that the site is in Flood zone 2 and a future planning application will include a Flood Risk Assessment.
The proposal has evolved in accordance with significant consultation with Churchill’s drainage engineers to incorporate efficient mitigation measures to protect the site against future flood events, this includes raising the finished floor levels and attenuation features to ensure the development is safe for residents throughout its lifetime.The proposals will also include an increase in permeable surfaces across the site.