Inspired at Comberton

Welcome

Inspired Villages and Endurance Estates are pleased to present plans to create an Integrated Retirement Community in Comberton.

Once you have had the chance to review our plans we would welcome your feedback, which you can provide by filling in our survey.

The aim of this consultation is to present the initial plans to the local community and to all the interested stakeholders and obtain your feedback.

Representatives from the project team are here to answer any questions you may have.

The Team About Inspired Villages Inspired Villages believes in great service, high quality and attention to detail. Their experienced team is responsible for developing entire communities – secure environments where people can enjoy and explore, be free and independent, yet receive tailored, flexible and supportive care all within the privacy of their own one or two-bedroom apartment.

They are motivated by the admiration and respect they have for their residents, their families, and the lifestyle they desire and deserve.

Inspired Villages was established in 2017 and has six operational villages in England with a further four in construction. Inspired Villages is one of the UK’s most innovative and ambitious retirement village brands. It is backed by a joint venture partnership between Legal & General and NatWest Group Pension Fund.

About Endurance Estates Endurance Estates is a dynamic property company who has successfully obtained planning permission for over 4000 new homes and several care homes. Endurance Estates is promoting the site at Comberton alongside Inspired Villages.

The Site The site is located at Land South of Branch Road, Comberton. The site is near the village centre and a range of services and facilities.

The majority of the site is characterised as being agricultural land, which gently slopes from the north to the south. The site sits outside of the conservation area and is located within Flood Zone 1 which means it is not at risk from fluvial flooding.

The village is well connected to the road network and is well served by public transport, with the Number 18 service which runs between Comberton and Cambridge, providing an hourly off-peak service and a more frequent service in peak hours.

Branch Road

The project team have started to undertake the technical and environmental surveys of the site, which include ecology, landscape and drainage surveys, in order to understand the characteristics of the site to ensure that the development takes into account any technical constraints.

Green End

Long Road

The site enjoys a range of informal pedestrian routes / permissive footpaths connecting to and through the site, and a key development goal is to protect and enhance these routes.

Harbour Avenue

Site Location

Why Comberton?

South Cambridgeshire has an ageing population. The age group expected to experience the highest growth is the 65+ group, from 19.6% in 2019 to 25.1% in 2035.

The ageing population of South Cambridgeshire and Comberton in particular and the increasing local demand for retirement living accommodation emphasise the need for such a development.

In Comberton, much of the existing retirement living is in homes that do not meet user or operator expectations and standards, making the village a suitable location for the proposed development.

The site provides a sustainable location that will maximise benefits for the whole community.

What is an Integrated Retirement Community?

An integrated retirement community is for over 65’s who meet a minimum care requirement but are active enough to live independently in their own homes, with access to extensive on-site facilities to meet most of their day-to-day needs. A flexible provision of care will also be available to meet residents’ needs as they age in place.

Our vision for an Integrated Retirement Community in Comberton aims to follow an approach that can deliver:

A vibrant and inclusive community

High-quality homes

Sustainability at its core

WELCOME

Green spaces

A welcoming village square

A range of facilities for all

“Integrated Retirement Communities offer older people the opportunity to live independently in their own home as part of a wider community. Lifestyle, wellbeing and care services are available to support people’s independence and aspirations.”

The Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO)

Our Proposals Our proposals will deliver approximately 200 extra care homes, set within high quality landscaped grounds, to create a vibrant and inclusive new community where residents can live independently, while enjoying all the facilities that the Integrated Retirement Community has to offer.

Every Inspired Village provides access to a full range of on-site facilities to meet most day-to-day needs and the flexible provision of care. We partner with a Care Quality Commission registered domiciliary care agency for residents to access personal care needs as they age in place.

Each village provides a mix of dwellings including one and two-bed cottages, bungalows and apartments which are for leasehold sale or to rent.

The proposed village reflects a high standard of design and build quality which draws upon the best examples from the local area.

The final list of facilities that we provide

will be decided in consultation with the local community of Comberton.

Some of the facilities available to residents and visitors could include:

• Fitness studio, gym and treatment rooms • Swimming pool • Care facilities • Restaurant /Cafe • Shop • Hairdressers • Landscaped grounds

• • • •

Public open space Community orchard Amenity space Variety of green space including allotments • Meeting space

Branch Road

Masterplan vision The masterplan vision illustrates our current approach to the delivery of this new integrated retirement community. This vision will deliver a beautiful collection of new homes alongside a range of fantastic amenity spaces for the whole community.

Green End

Cottages

Key attributes of the masterplan include: • Vibrant retirement village centre with a new public square • Community café and restaurant overlooking the square • Health and wellbeing facilities including a gym, exercise room and swimming pool • Natural amphitheatre able to host community events

Edible allotments

Village pond and sign

• High-quality contextual buildings of architectural distinction • Enhanced connectivity through the site to Comberton Greenway and the existing village centre • Exemplary sustainable community that will deliver Net Zero Carbon (regulated energy)

Village Square

Connection to Comberton village centre

Amphitheatre

Attenuation pond

Village centre

Harbour Avenue

Vision Sketches

An early conceptual sketch of the Village Centre, looking across the attenuation pond and amphitheatre, with the arrival square in the background

An early conceptual street scene from within the Village, indicatively illustrating types of homes proposed and the landscape setting

Branch Road

Landscaping

1 4

4

1 1

3 3

Restoration of existing orchard and planting of new orchard to benefit the community and wildlife

3

The proposed development places a great focus on creating a high-quality, landscapeled environment. Public realm and landscaping proposals include:

4

4

3

2

2

Potential enhancements to existing connections between the site and Comberton Village Centre

33

End

3

4

Green

•R etention of open green spaces and of the sense of landscape extending into the core of the village

4

•N o built development immediately south of Branch Road, providing a high quality landscaped entrance •L ocating development primarily adjacent to the existing built form of Comberton, reinforcing the sense of compactness of the village

The Valley

5

5

2

3 3

2

Retention and enhancement of green links to benefit biodiversity and amenity value

1

• Improved accessibility and connections to Branch Road

6

6 1

• Opportunity for connections to Comberton Greenway with pedestrian and cycle routes •A rrival square with welcoming and positive orientation • Amphitheatre space as an extension of arrival square

4 Well landscaped corridor with inclusion of SuDS, rain gardens, tree and herbaceous planting

•A village pond

5

5

Lively village centre with cafe spilling out into an attractive landscaped square

6 6

Creation of a landscaped pond, benefiting wildlife and functioning as a feature of the sustainable drainage strategy

Sustainability At Inspired Villages we take our environmental responsibilities seriously and believe striving towards an ambitious standard for sustainable building and operation of our villages is important for our planet, and adds value for our residents, and their local communities.

As with our other villages, this village will have sustainability at its core and will aim to achieve net-zero carbon (regulated energy). This will be achieved through a combination of renewable technologies such as solar panels, a shared energy centre and ground source heat pumps.

We also prioritise a ‘fabric first’ approach designed to reduce our energy demand across all categories of space within our villages. Within this we consider design issues such as orientation and glazing ratios to avoid overheating and optimise solar gain.

We are committed to encouraging sustainable travel which is why all of the parking spaces at our villages have active or passive Electric Vehicle Charging provisions. We also provide an electric taxi service as an on-demand, short trips service for our residents.

We will encourage walking and cycling by providing new pedestrian and cycle routes throughout the site including access to the Comberton-Cambridge greenway.

We will also retain and enhance existing hedgerows and ditches, creating new habitats and delivering biodiversity net gain.

What makes an Inspired Village special?

Communal Facilities

Community

Wellbeing

Security

Independence

All our retirement communities feature a wide range of facilities for use by residents, their guests, and the local community, and can include a pool, fitness studio, gym, café/bar, restaurant, meeting/activity space, hairdressers and open space.

Every one of our communities is full of people looking forward to meeting new people, trying new things and embracing life – this creates a positive environment and a true sense of community.

We have Wellbeing Navigators in each of our villages who support residents, whether that is to provide general advice, nutrition and health advice, or set fitness goals. The target is to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents, reducing social isolation and loneliness, and improving physical and mental health.

Our villages are protected by a 24/7 security system and staffing giving you extra peace of mind.

We provide independent living but with the reassurance of available support if you need it.

Key Benefits Social Benefits

Environmental Benefits

Economic Benefits

•T he proposal will reduce the burden on local GP practices by offering specialist care and support on site.

•T he proposals will be seeking to promote sustainable transport opportunities.

•E mployment opportunities, both full and part-time will be generated.

•C are facilities will be integrated into the local community. The uses will promote activity within the site throughout the day and evening and will allow different members of the community to positively interact.

•D ue to the demographics of the village residents and by providing a regular transport service for the residents, traffic movements are substantially lower than a typical residential development.

•T he development has the potential to help to free up other sectors of the housing market by releasing much-needed family housing accommodation.

•T he proposals will follow sustainable design principles and aim to achieve net-zero carbon (regulated energy).

•O ur villages are not gated developments. A range of facilities will all be open to the wider community for you to enjoy.

•T he proposals will retain and enhance existing hedgerows and ditches, creating new habitats and delivering biodiversity net gain.

• I t is expected that most staff would be recruited locally and a site-specific recruitment strategy will be prepared to support this aspiration. We typically employ 3540 members of staff within each village in a range of roles, from management and administration, to housekeeping, catering, landscaping and maintenance. The majority of our staff live locally to their village.

•T he proposal will create further indirect employment opportunities, for example, during construction and through associated facilities and services to support the on-going operation of the village.

Thank you Thank you for taking the time to review our plans to provide a new Integrated Retirement Community in Comberton.

We are keen to understand what the local community thinks about our proposals.

Following this first round of consultation, we will be collecting all the feedback received as we look to develop further our proposals. We will then be looking to provide a further update to the community on more detailed proposals.

We would be grateful if you could complete a feedback form. Alternatively you can visit our website at www.inspiredatcomberton.co.uk to leave your feedback.

If you would like to get in touch with the project team, you can email ysophocleous@conciliocomms.com or call 0800 193 6698