A ceremony this Friday will mark the official opening of a brand new retirement scheme in Bicester, as well as ten new affordable houses and flats for rent. The new development was built by The Vale Housing Association, with funding and support from Cherwell District Council.
Ten residents will move into the scheme from nearby Bryan House, where their current landlord is Charter Community Housing. They have been closely involved with preparations for the scheme, including choosing colour schemes for kitchen units, floor and wall units and even voting to decide what the scheme’s new name should be. Charter Community Housing and The Vale Housing Association have also worked together to provide help with moving arrangements.
The Willows retirement complex features an impressive number of new amenities and features including underfloor heating, a hairdressers’ and chiropodists’ room, carers’ rooms and storage areas for motorised buggies. The nearby houses, known as Vine Cottages, replace derelict Victorian cottages and have been rebuilt on exactly the same footprint as the original buildings, reusing materials such as bricks and chimney pots. Natural slate and clay tiles have been used on the rooves to compliment other buildings in the area and many original features have been faithfully reproduced. The total cost of the scheme is £3,659,472, of which over half was provided by Cherwell District Council.
On Friday Councillor Stratford, Vice Chair of Cherwell District Council, and Ray Morse, Vice Chair of The Vale Housing Association, will officially open the site by unveiling a plaque within the Willows scheme. A lunch will be attended by new residents, local councillors, staff involved in building the new development and nearby neighbours of the scheme.