The initial phase of the contract is worth £26 million and will see the company create 184 units at Shenley Wood which will be handed over in October 2011.

The homes, which are self contained and available for rent and private sale, are designed for people in their later years to lead active, independent lifestyles while also enjoying secure accommodation.

The retirement village is designed by Birmingham based architect Nichol Thomas and is positioned around a central community hub area offering residents a range of health, social and leisure facilities.

As part of its contract, Willmott Dixon will build these community amenities, which include a shop, restaurant, bar, hair dresser, art studio, gym, greenhouse, bowls and a woodworking workshop. The Village is a partnership involving Milton Keynes Council, the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, Milton Keynes Partnership, The Homes and Communities Agency and The Department of Health. It is the second ExtraCare retirement village to be built in Milton Keynes, following the success of Lovat Fields, which opened in 2007.

This is Willmott Dixon’s first scheme for the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, and strengthens its wide ranging experience of constructing accommodation for elderly people.

The company has a prolific track-record in the elderly care and retirement sector. It was recently behind the award winning £70 million Denham Garden Village in Buckinghamshire for the Anchor Trust, and is currently carrying out the modernization of elderly care accommodation across Walsall for Housing 21.