NEW retirement apartments could inject £670,000 a year into the Calne economy according to the developers behind new proposals on The Pippin.

McCarthy & Stone, the UK's leading retirement housebuilder, is preparing plans to transform a brownfield site into a 32 one and two bedroom retirement living apartments in the centre of town.

A public exhibition on the plans, which include a partially underground car park and dedicated pedestrian access, will take place between 3pm and 7pm on November 30 in the Calne town hall.

Shane Paull, McCarthy & Stone’s regional managing director, said: “Following early meetings with residents and stakeholders, we understand local feelings about the development of the town centre and residential development in particular.

"We know from independent research that our proposals will help to attract more retail activity to Calne in the long run, with McCarthy & Stone residents on average spending £670,000 per year within the local economy.

"We will be displaying our plans at the exhibition and want to hear from the local community before we submit a planning application.

"Our project team will be at the exhibition to answer questions and listen to feedback on what we have done so far and the comments we receive will help us tailor our proposals.”

McCarthy & Stone believe the site offers an ideal location for specialist housing for people in later life, conveniently located in the town centre, allowing future residents to access local facilities.

Research conducted by the Institute of Public Care shows that 78 per cent of owners of this type of property use local shops, on average, at least once a week and have a lower rate of car ownership than more conventional forms of development.

The developers say, given previous experience on other sites, that the majority of people who buy an apartment will be residents already living in the local area, and contribute to the release of larger, family sized homes back into the local housing market.

For more information, call the project’s information line on 0800 298 7040 or visits the project’s website www.mccarthyandstone-consultation.co.uk/calne.