A woman of 100, who left a retirement home in Germany recently after living there for only six weeks, complained bitterly that it was “boring” and “full of old people with grey hair”. It’s a funny story but the poor lady had a point — if she was still fit and active enough to use the stairs and play poker for money, she didn’t want to be in an institution.

It’s an increasingly common problem with the “Nony” generation — people who are Not Old, Not Young. They are tired of maintaining the family home where their children grew up, but don’t want to end up in a place that smells of school dinners. The difficulty is finding something in between.

Along with an increasing number of developers, Countryside Properties did research into what Nonys wanted from a retirement property and found that they were after something smart and secure, which they didn’t have to worry about while spending time abroad, gardens that were maintained and space for two cars. “This group is also very brand aware,” says Chris Crook, of Countryside Properties. “They like granite worktops, American fridges and Smeg appliances.”

If you want to sell the family home but can’t face the prospect of living in a flat, Countryside Properties is offering homes at its Mill Hill estate in North London, where 71 bungalows and 15 flats that were built between the wars are being converted for the Nony generation, with internet access and state-of-the art kitchens and bathrooms. The development will be launched at the end of this month: a one-bedroom bungalow will be £300,000 and a two-bed bungalow will be £345,000.

Another development aimed at the over55s is at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. That’s right, the Cliveden. The historic house itself is now a hotel but the Nony village will be a strikingly modern collection of homes — eco-friendly but with Art Deco styling. Residents will have private access to Cliveden’s gardens.

Not surprisingly, builders of retirement developments are often in competition with mainstream builders over the best sites. This has led to some creative thinking. Pegasus has embarked on two joint ventures that develop underused church land in exchange for new facilities for the local parish. In Addiscombe, Croydon, garden-centre land and an old vicarage attached to St Mildred’s Church were sacrificed to make way for Mildred Court, a 40-apartment retirement complex. The properties, which have access to communal fitness, library and visitor accommodation facilities, typically cost £254,450 for one bedroom or £399,950 for two bedrooms. In return, St Mildred’s parishioners have a new vicarage, community hall, garden of remembrance and parish recreation area, all built by Pegasus.

The development, completed in November, followed a successful scheme with a Baptist church in Yeovil, Somerset. Pegasus retained the listed façades of the church and church hall to build a new complex of church, chapel, meeting rooms — and 40 retirement apartments. More recently Pegasus has embarked on the development of former school land in Topsham, Devon, and in the reconstruction of a Royal British Legion care home in Weston-super-Mare.

McCarthy & Stone, the largest UK retirement developer, has also taken on restoration projects. Watermill Court, a retirement development in Havant, Hampshire, was created on the site of a Grade II listed papermill. In other joint ventures, the developer has relocated a tennis club in Sheffield (Fitzwilliam Court, from £168,950) and a health centre in Stafford (Drakeford Court, from £189,950).

TOPTIPS

Choose a home on a level site, near public transport, shops, church and other facilities. There should be high standards of design, with features that create a safe environment. 24-hour staff care and support should be available. There should be a comprehensive range of facilities such as restaurant, lounge, activity room and health suite. The home should be in an area of between seven and twelve acres.

An appropriate package of care should be available in the individual’s own home. The home should be within five miles of a good-sized town. A wide range of leisure facilities should be available on site. More than one in five people in the area should be over retirement age. There should be attractive features. For example, a pleasant outlook and a nearby park.

Advice from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

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