Retirement village of 65 flats to open in April

A topping out ceremony was recently held at Roman Court, which is being built on land south of St Christopher's Drive in Oundle

A housing development of 65 flats for people aged 55 and over is set to be completed in April.

Roman Court, in Oundle, Northamptonshire, will provide 24 one-bedroom and 41 two-bedroom apartments for rent or through shared ownership.

The £14.6m Extra Care scheme is expected to offer 30 jobs for people in the town once it is operational, said developer Housing 21.

Martin Griffiths, leader of Reform UK-led North Northamptonshire Council, said it should "deliver both independence and dignity to people in their latter years".

The retirement village, which is being built near St Christopher's Drive, was supported with a grant of £5.730m from Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency.

It will offer communal facilities such as gardens, a lounge, a laundry and a guest room, with on-site care or support.

Representatives from the council, Housing 21, Deeley Construction, Osbornes Quantity Surveyors, and Saunders Boston Architects recently attended a topping out ceremony at the site.

Griffiths said: "As a council, we are committed to supporting the development of more schemes like this across North Northamptonshire to help people to live independently as they grow older."

Housing 21 is a not-for-profit, leading national provider of Extra Care and retirement living for older people of modest means, it said.