The London-based practice developed the scheme in partnership with Retirement Villages Group (RVG), for a former green-belt site in Froghall Lane, Chigwell. The land was removed from the green belt in 2023 under the adopted local plan and allocated for specialist housing for older people.The 'integrated retirement community' will consist of energy-efficient, high-density villas of between two and six storeys, arranged around a central avenue that links to 1,050m of communal facilities. Parking is pushed to the sites periphery to encourage social connections and active lifestyles.RCKa says its Essex village-inspired scheme combines traditional settlement concepts with contemporary design to enrich the lives of residents while acting as a vital social hub for the wider area.AdvertisementThe housing will consist of 70 per cent two-bedroom apartments, 20 per cent three-bedroom apartments, and 10 per cent one-bedroom apartments.The project aims for net-zero in both embodied carbon and operational carbon, according to the practice.The site was originally allocated for 105 specialist retirement homes under the Epping Forest local plan, but RCKas scheme increases the allocation density by another 37 per cent.Epping Forest District Councils planning committee granted planning permission for the scheme on 13 November.The permission is subject to a legal agreement to secure planning conditions including an off-site affordable housing contribution of 1 million, a health contribution of 150,000, an NHS ambulance contribution of 29,000, and a libraries contribution of 11,000.AdvertisementPlanning officers said the scheme addresses a critical need for specialised housing as per the sites allocation, and has good sustainability aspirations.Officers described the scheme as an improvement on applications previously refused for the site, adding: It is considered that the arrangement of the buildings around this accessible central landscaped area would have a convivial feel and it is hoped that this would, in turn, create a strong sense of community for future residents.RCKa ChigwellThe project is the third collaboration between RCKa and RVG to provide retirement living. It follows a scheme on the outskirts of Chester set to complete in early 2025, and a scheme in West Malling, Kent, which recently started on site after being approved late last year.RVG development director Duncan Matthews said the approval followed months of constructive consultation with Epping Forest officers, local stakeholders, and ...]our consultant team.He added that the Chigwell scheme would offer older people 'a community where they can live happier and healthier later lives', as well as providing new jobs and amenities for the wider community.RCKa director Tim Riley said the project represented the practices commitment to designing sustainable, inclusive spaces that enrich the lives of residents and the wider community and that it would provide a place that Chigwell can feel truly proud of.On a wider level, Riley has called on the government to introduce dedicated planning policy to support age-friendly housing, explaining: What we urgently need is recognition of the sector within the NPPF.A major report published this week found that the UK is falling tens of thousands of homes short on delivering the quantity of housing needed for its ageing population.Research by the Older Peoples Housing Taskforce found that between 30,000 and 50,000 new later-living homes need to be delivered every year in order to support the growing elderly population but only around 7,000 are being built.The task force has made nine core recommendations to the government regarding housing for older people, plus an overarching recommendation that the government establish a new delivery capability to carry this transformative work forward. Source:Pillar VisualsRCKa ChigwellPROJECT DATALocation Land west of Froghall Lane, ChigwellLocal authority Epping Forest District CouncilType of project Retirement housingClient Retirement Villages Group LtdArchitect and Lead Designer RCKaProject Manager and Quantity Surveyor Cast ConsultancyPlanning Consultant Iceni ProjectsServices and Sustainability Hoare LeeStructure and Civil Engineering SymmetrysLandscape Architecture CamlinsCommunity Engagement Redwood ConsultingEcology Consultants Ecology SolutionsHighways Consultants Markides AssociatesReal Estate Advisers NewsteerMain contractor TBDFunding UndisclosedTender date 2025Start on site date 2025Completion date TBDContract duration TBDGross internal floor area 181,800mForm of contract and/or procurement TBDAnnual CO2 emissions NZC (Operational and Embodied)Total cost Undisclosed