A HOUSE in Odiham could be knocked down to make way for 34 retirement living apartments.

McCarthy Stone is seeking pre-application advice from Hart District Council on plans to demolish Longwood, in West Street, and outbuildings on the site to build a new retirement development.

The existing large two-storey family home sits within a 0.4hectre site between Robert May’s School and the new build development of Maple Fields – a 10 minute walk from Odiham high street. 

The current application “seeks to provide apartments for older people with associated communal facilities, parking and landscaping.”

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It states that the development would be “typically for residents over 60 years of age with the aim of maintaining their independence via a wide range of communal facilities”.

The application continued: “The most important functional requirement for this type of retirement housing relates to the ease of movement throughout any development.

"The building accommodates self-contained apartments linked by heated corridors accessed from a secure entrance.

"Communal facilities in the form of a homeowner’s lounge, guest suite and refuse rooms must all be located at the heart of the scheme.”

If plans progress, the retirement apartments would be made up of 17 one-bed and 17 two-bed.

The proposal involves the relocation of the existing access towards Maple Fields allowing for improved vehicular access into the development.

The applicant added: “We feel that the proposed development responds to the opportunities and constraints of the site.”

To view the plans, go to hart.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control and search 24/01701/PREAPP.