“Would my parents move there?”
This is the question that guides Simon Westray, Managing Director of SageHaus, as he and his team seek to redefine retirement villages in the UK by offering a completely new concept for later living.
Forget high rise blocks of apartments or flats built next to a busy roundabout, the SageHaus vision for later living is a series of idylls in natural surroundings, with Scandinavian-inspired ultra-energy efficient bungalows and cottages in low density schemes with bustling community hubs combined with easy access to support and integrated care. The first, The Sylvan, Surrey Heath, is due to launch early in 2027.
“When we looked around at the average retirement offering in the UK, it all just seemed so institutionalised and repetitive with small flats in high-rise buildings that look like care homes,” Simon explained. “I wouldn’t want to live in that kind of place, and I know many people feel the same. However, the benefits of living in a good retirement village are well-evidenced, so the question we set out to solve is — how do we retain the benefits of retirement villages while offering a concept that is appealing to the many people put off by what’s currently available?”
Rightsizing to a better quality of life
Research shows that living in a good retirement village improves people’s quality of life, helps them stay living independently for longer, reduces loneliness and isolation and improves mental and physical health outcomes. It also reduces pressure on health and social care services while releasing family-sized homes on to the market.
SageHaus’s own research revealed that, rather than extreme downsizing, older people wanted spacious houses that felt similar to their family home but were easier to live in, adaptable to single-level living if that became necessary, offered lower running costs and were easy to maintain.
The bungalows and cottages at The Sylvan, Surrey Heath are designed to deliver exactly this. Each dwelling has two or more bedrooms and two accessible bathrooms with walk-in showers, one of which is downstairs. Every home has a large kitchen diner that opens onto small private garden and has its own driveway so residents can park outside their home for as long as they continue to drive.
The ground floor of each cottage is designed to accommodate single-level living by having at least one separate room that can be used as a bedroom. Additional upstairs bedrooms can then be used for guests, live-in carers or storage. The homes have simple layouts that are easy to navigate for people who are visually impaired, and all homes are Part M4(ii) compliant which means they are suitable for ambulatory and wheelchair disabled occupants. Running costs for SageHaus homes will be dramatically lower than the average UK property thanks to a combination of photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery and ultra-efficient insulation that delivers an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A rating.
“Choosing a SageHaus home means you can continue to live the life you love in a house that feels like a family home but will adapt to your needs over time, so you can age in place without having to move again,” explains Simon. “Our care partner can provide care at home when you need it, whether that’s a daily requirement or as part of rehabilitation after an illness or operation. It takes all the worry out of the future for residents and families alike. These homes are so energy efficient that, used properly, current modelling suggests that residents may end up paying as little as £250 a year for energy costs.”
A new model
In addition to the homes themselves, SageHaus developments will include Clubhouse community hubs to provide a space for socialising, activities and events. Unlike other retirement villages where everything is onsite, SageHaus works on a self-serve community-integration model. The Sylvan will provide social spaces with self-serve coffee, an honesty bar and catering provided by local restaurants and food service partners. This helps to keep the service charge low while maintaining important access to social events, organised activities and outings. An electric minibus will run trips to local shops and services, including the local health club where residents can enjoy discounted membership.
“Service charges are, understandably, an area of concern for people looking at retirement villages,” said Simon. “While the hotel-style villages with restaurants, coffee shops and swimming pools are great — they are also very expensive to run and residents end up paying for facilities they rarely use. Ours is a lighter model, inspired by Scandinavian practicality and functionality, where we partner with local providers to provide catering and events, while our team will be there to run the village day-to-day and provide support to residents, alongside our care partner.”
Overall, the SageHaus approach, with ultra-energy efficient individual dwellings set in natural surroundings with a lighter model of services and facilities and integrated care, presents an entirely fresh approach to later living. It presents a much-needed opportunity for people who would love the peace of mind and support of a retirement village seeking to ‘rightsize’ into a home they will love now and in the future.
ENDS
