WORK to build luxury retirement apartments is said to be 'progressing well' at a brand new retirement village for Dorset .

Developer Platinum Skies is constructing an independent-living village in Sherborne, and work is currently under way to build an apartment complex as part of the development.

The village will be made up of apartments and houses for people aged 55 and over, as well as a hotel. It will based at the top of Horsecastles Road and the A30, which is just a short walk from Sherborne town centre.

Contractors are currently working on a complex of 82 luxury one, two and three bedroomed apartments, which will feature either a balcony or terrace, and undercroft parking.

Scaffolding is beginning to be taken down from the outside of the complex following the completion of the roof and the installation of the windows.

Internally, the construction team is working from the top floor downwards to plaster the walls and install the fully-fitted kitchens.

The homes are being made affordable as part of a government-backed shared ownership scheme delivered in partnership with Homes England.

The scheme enables buyers to purchase a property for typically 50 per cent of the full value, with prices starting from £247,500.

Tyron Ebdon, Platinum Skies' project manager for Sherborne, said: “Our construction team has worked incredibly hard to continue to make progress on the site as we know there is a huge amount of pent-up demand for the houses and apartments we are building.

"The Sherborne site offers the perfect opportunity for residents to live in a welcoming community alongside their neighbours to reduce the loneliness and isolation that some rural residents may feel, while enabling them to enjoy an independent lifestyle in their own home.”

In addition to the apartments, 37 houses will also be part of the village, featuring a mix of townhouses, semi-detached and detached two bedroom and three-bedroom properties.

Construction of the first 15 houses, which have individual gardens with a patio area, will be completed by mid-March. The rest of the houses will be completed in phases leading up to June.

Work will start onsite in May on a 24-room hotel featuring a dry spa, restaurant and bar area, meeting rooms and conference room facilities, which is open to the public, as well as the homeowners’ families.

An open event is set to take place at the start of May with 'enhanced' covid-safe measures in place.

For more information and to register an interest in the apartments available in Sherborne, visit Platinumskies.co.uk or call 01202 044996.