Adlington Retirement Living is building a new retirement community in St Leonards in Exeter.

Exeter City Council granted planning approval for the integrated retirement community comprising 65 one-, two- and three-bedroom retirement apartments for the over 65s, with landscaped gardens and extensive communal facilities.

Formerly the site of the Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education, the 1.3-acre plot has been vacant for three years. 

Adlington Retirement Living’s chief executive Dr Ed Gladman said: “We’re pleased to be launching our first community in the region as part of our strategic growth plan. Our objective is to empower our older generation to live a long, happy and healthy life, supporting their independence, wellbeing and happiness.

“Integrated retirement communities offer people a way to retain their independence for as long as possible, choosing where they want to live with the safety net of care options being readily available if they are needed in the future. They also keep people engaged with wider society which is key to tackling loneliness and isolation in later years. 

“There’s an urgent need to address the shortage of appropriate housing for older people and integrated retirement communities are a very undersupplied part of the market.”

Since 2008, Adlington Retirement Living has launched 17 communities across the Northwest, Yorkshire, Wales and the Midlands. Having recently opened a new community in Kempston, Bedfordshire, and with its 18th community set to open in Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield, in February, the business says it will provide 647 new homes over the next three years.