Woodchester Valley Village: How we turned a disaster into the first mutually owned retirement village

This Housing LIN Case Study no 125 looks at the important issues affecting the development and management of leasehold retirement housing in the UK and captures the story of the residents at Woodchester Valley Village near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, who have experienced the best of living in a retirement village by taking managing control of the site when their developer/owner went into receivership.

It is adapted from a presentation given at a CARLEX/Leasehold Knowledge Partnership meeting and covers the key issues affecting this fledgling sector given, in particular, the total unsuitability of current leasehold law and the limited rights some people have when they buy a retirement home.