The award-winning developer and operator of integrated retirement communities, Inspired Villages, and main contractor Farrans Construction have celebrated the ground breaking milestone as work begins at the £45m Phase 1 of Widmore Park Village in Sonning Common.

The first phase of works will include 73 high-quality, bespoke homes tailored for those over 65 and will incorporate a state-of-the-art wellness suite within the village centre. 

The Widmore Park community, once delivered in full, will provide 133 age-appropriate, sustainable homes for around 150 over 65s, as well as impressive facilities including a restaurant, cafe, hairdressers, library and a wellness centre comprising a swimming pool, steam room, treatment rooms and a gym with a fitness studio. Some of these features such as the gym, pool, restaurant, and café will be open and accessible to the wider community. 

The development will provide further benefit to the local area and economy by creating over 100 construction roles, and more than 40 operational positions once complete. In addition to this, the two organisations have already started supporting the local community in a variety of other ways.  Farrans started with a donation of laptops for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge (MECE) secondary school’s Special Educational Needs Department where they also presented a ‘careers in construction’ session to 70 year 10 students. Colleagues from Farrans and Inspired Villages also volunteered their time to clear the Sonning Common Scout’s Hall.

Widmore Park will join a fast-growing pipeline that puts Inspired Villages on track to deliver its plan to establish 34 communities comprising 5,100 homes for 8,000 individuals aged 65 and above. It will also follow in the footsteps of the UK’s first Net Zero (regulated energy) retirement community, Millfield Green, which opened in November last year in terms of its sustainability credentials.

Shaun Whelan, Construction Director for Inspired Villages, commented:

“We’re hugely proud of the community we’re creating at Sonning Common and know Widmore Park will join our nine operational villages to become a great asset to the local area, whilst supporting the provision of housing for the region’s over 65s in a sustainable and conscious way. The benefit to residents and the wider community is proven and significant so we’re delighted to mark today’s groundbreaking milestone as the first step towards Widmore Park becoming a thriving and popular retirement community.” 

Glenn Gilmore, Regional Director for Farrans, said:  

“We are proud to be delivering this important scheme for Inspired Villages and we recognise how important it is to have well-designed, high quality retired living developments like Widmore Park  which promote activity, community and sustainability in our later years. We have already started an extensive programme of social value activities to leave a positive lasting legacy in the area including donating ten laptops to Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge (MECE) secondary school special educational needs department and presenting a careers in construction workshop to 70 year ten students at the same school. We will be keeping the local community up to date with our work progress in the Sonning Common magazine and we are looking forward to hosting 12 coffee mornings at the nearby parish in partnership with Age UK.”

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