Retirement Living
Churchill Living is an award winning, family run company specialising in building and managing communities designed exclusively for the over 60s. Churchill Living communities enhance and support a low maintenance lifestyle while offering a safe and secure retirement that provides peace of mind.
Established in 2003, Churchill is proud to be a market leader in the provision of private retirement apartments for sale exclusively to the over 60s. Churchill has been awarded a 5 star rating in Customer Satisfaction by owners, and over 90% of owners would recommend Churchill Living to friends and family.
The decision to purchase a Churchill Living home is typically needs-driven, with our residents seeking greater security, independence and peace of mind. Many customers choose to move when their existing property is no longer suitable; or when they can no longer easily access shops and services they rely on; or when the loss of a partner has given rise to a sense of loneliness.
Moving to an age-friendly Churchill community of like-minded people enables residents to retain their independence and enjoy an active lifestyle. This supportive environment significantly reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness, and eases the burdens of maintaining a property that no longer suits their needs. Each apartment has its own front door, a modern kitchen and shower room, and in some cases, direct access to beautifully maintained communal gardens. Many also benefit from a ‘lock up and leave’ lifestyle, perfect for weekends away or extended holidays.
A full-time lodge manager and maintenance team provide reassurance and convenience, taking care of all communal upkeep and garden maintenance. This allows residents to spend less time on time-consuming household tasks and more time enjoying life with friends and family.
Specialist retirement housing offers wide-reaching benefits that meet the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, environmental, and social. These benefits apply to individuals, local authorities, and the wider community.
For further information keep reading below, or you can visit our Frequently Asked Questions on our company website – Retirement Living FAQs
Robert Norrington
Beck Lodge (Park Gate)
I moved from a big house with a big garden that I could no longer cope with. After my wife died I’d been living there on my own for many years. My health was going downhill and I’d had some serious falls and been in and out of hospital. However, since moving to Beck Lodge I haven’t had any falls, my health is so much better and I’m able to live independently. Before I just managed, but now I’m enjoying life again!
Eileen Hutchings
Thackeray Lodge (Fareham)
I’ve always lived near to Fareham but now I’m right in the centre of things and it’s such a great location, with all the shops and the doctor’s surgery all on my doorstep. I have a beautiful new apartment and more time on my hands to do the things I enjoy, like volunteering for a local charity.
Research published by Homes For Later Living has shown that a typical retirement development, of approximately 45 units, delivers the following significant benefits for the economy, local housing market and the health and wellbeing of the whole community.
£500,000 of local spending per year, £347,000 of which is spent on the local high street
Savings to health care services of approx. £3,500 per occupant annually, amounting to £156,500 /yr
Results in 80 additional moves further down the housing chain.
Release 27 first time buyers onto the market.
85 construction jobs
6 permanent jobs once operational
A welcome development – UK-wide polling shows that 68% of people would approve of retirement housing being built near them, compared to 45% approval for conventional apartments.
The increasing need for later living homes
As a result of advances in technology, healthcare, and lifestyle, we are living longer and are often healthier well into later life.
By 2032 there will be five million people over eighty living in the UK and each year around 700,000 people turn 65 years of age. 90% of projected house growth in the coming decades is therefore set to be amongst those aged 65 and over, taking the total number of homes owned by those aged 65 and over from 3.9 million today to at least 5 million by 2030.
It is estimated that there are approximately 3 million people in the UK over the age of 65 who want to downsize.
However, there is already a shortage of homes specifically designed for later living and this is exacerbated by delivery of new retirement living communities being well below demand. On average, just 8,000 retirement properties are built per year in the UK, with retirement living accounting for just 2% of all new homes built since 2000.
Silver saviours – Supporting the High Street and local economy
All Churchill Living lodges are located within half a mile, and on a flat route, to a town or city centre, meaning they are extremely well-located to enable occupants to visit local shops and essential services, often on foot or by mobility scooter.
The occupants of retirement living typically have a good level of disposable income, having downsized and released considerable equity, and tend to shop frequently. The spending power of the ‘grey pound’ has the unique ability to revitalise local high streets, delivering a significant uplift in local expenditure and footfall. This in turn helps keep shops open, supports and creates local jobs, enabling high streets to thrive.
These benefits mean that retirement properties create more local economic value and more local jobs than any other type of residential development.
Healthier and Happier – fiscal and wellbeing benefits of retirement
Millions of older people live in housing that no longer suits their needs. As well as constraining larger housing stock suitable for families, there is mounting evidence that inappropriate housing is closely linked to poor health and isolation, unnecessarily increasing the strain on the social care system and the NHS.
The lack of suitable retirement housing means that, when it finally comes, their next move is to a care or residential home.
Independent research, undertaken by Homes for Later Living, shows that retirement living can significantly improve the wellbeing of older people. Living in shared communities enables residents to build new connections, enjoy social activities and spend amenity time in communal spaces, providing social interaction, support and encouraging independence.
Each person living in a home for later living enjoys a reduced risk of health challenges, contributing fiscal savings to the NHS and social care services of approximately £3,500 per year.
Those in later living are around half as likely to feel lonely compared to older people in other housing types. On a selection of national well-being criteria such as happiness and life satisfaction, an average person aged 80 feels as good as someone 10 years younger after moving from mainstream housing to housing specially designed for later living, such as that provided by Churchill Living.
Chain Reaction – Impact of retirement housing on generational divide.
The UK is experiencing a housing crisis and for many people below 40 the idea of owning a home has become increasingly unaffordable. For those entering retirement, there are concerns around health and how they will continue to live independently.
Older people are often in larger homes that have become unmanageable and the number of ‘surplus’ bedrooms in the UK is forecast to exceed 20 million by 2040, 60% of them in older households.
If all the homeowners over the age of 65 in England who wanted to move were able to do so, they would directly release one million properties back onto the market and free up two million spare bedrooms.
Enabling more older people to downsize to a retirement community would not just benefit the older generation, but also help young families looking for a family-sized home. The chain reaction through the housing market would also pave the way for more first-time buyer homes to be released.
Every retirement living home that is sold generates two or more moves further down the housing chain, and roughly two in every three retirement properties built releases a home suitable for a first-time buyer in the housing chains created.
Award winning communities
Over the years we are proud to have achieved numerous awards that are recognised and highly regarded throughout the retirement industry. Recent awards have included:
HBF 5 Star Rating 2025
In a customer satisfaction survey undertaken by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and National House Building Council (NHBC), Churchill Living was awarded a maximum 5-star rating for customer service for another year, having received this accolade for the past ten years.
WhatHouse? Award 2024
At the 2024 WhatHouse? Awards, we were delighted to be awarded Gold for “Best Retirement Home Developer” at this prestigious award ceremony.
