Situated at the mouth of the River Blackwater, Tollesbury’s coastal landscape is distinctive, characterised by its salt marshes, and its community has long been sustained by this striking natural environment – from salt production to oyster fishing and salt-marsh grazing livestock.

The area boasts a significant maritime heritage, too, having been a centre for the racing yacht industry in the early 1900s, and of course it’s still a hub for yachting and other water sports today.

We secured full planning permission for Salt Meadows in August 2022 and expect the first homes to be move-in ready from Summer 2023.

To find out more about buying off-plan, get in touch with our team today via our web form.

It’s no surprise to hear that the people of Tollesbury love where they live – but when the time comes for them to downsize, whether to unlock capital from their home or simply reduce the amount of time they spend cleaning and maintaining their property, affordable options are few and far between.

We aim to put that right, and offer local residents the opportunity to stay local, and still meet their housing needs within their budget.

Our new retirement neighbourhood offers local residents the chance to downsize affordably while remaining in this uniquely beautiful location, close to friends and family, in a development which has been purpose-built to both meet their needs and be a good fit aesthetically with the landscape and the rest of Tollesbury’s built environment.

Situated on land to the north of Woodrolfe Road, our development has been carefully planned to actually improve the biodiversity and natural beauty of the site, augmenting the existing flora with native species.

As well as planting the communal and private gardens with a range of climate-suitable plants, shrubs and trees, the existing hedgerows will be enhanced with a mixture of alder, hornbeam, hawthorn, beech, holly, blackthorn and dog rose, echoing the area’s native varieties.

In addition, a railway line feature has been included in the landscaping, as a nod to the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway (also known as ‘The Crab and Winkle Line’) which once ran across the site.

The design of the buildings themselves takes cues from the local architectural vernacular and the area’s sweeping coastal vistas, with its weatherboarding, variety of layout and façade, all in a palette of marine-inspired greys, blues and greens.

This specialist neighbourhood for those aged 60+ features 25 dwellings arranged around a lakeside ‘social heart’ building, as well as communal gardens, a nature walk, and a small children’s playground for visiting grandchildren.

It’s been specifically designed to meet the needs of older people, to encourage a sense of community, and to provide the kind of lifestyle that today’s generation of late-career workers and retirees want to enjoy – while also evolving with their needs as time goes by.

Each property has been designed to maximise a feeling of space, without compromising on the number of bedrooms, bathrooms or storage space – every home at Salt Meadows has at least two bedrooms (one might be a compact room for visiting grandchildren and hobbies), and cupboards or loft storage areas for bulky or less-oft-used belongings.

And all properties are fully wired for telecare, for when occupants reach the stage of needing a little more support.The idea is that these homes are not only lovely to live in, but they’re future-proofed, so residents can live independently for longer.

At the social heart of the neighbourhood, The Salt Box is a communal hub which not only acts as a location for pop-up shops (we’re currently discussing with local retailers the idea of a pop-up butcher’s and greengrocer’s once a week), but also a space that can be booked for family gatherings and parties.

It’s also ideal as a spot to meet friends and have coffee, attend a fitness class, or have a health check-up or vaccination. The upkeep of this building, as well as that of the landscaped communal gardens and nature walk, is completely covered by a low monthly service charge.