News Article

Octopus Capital has selected Bennett Construction to deliver the main build packages on two flagship retirement communities that together will create more than 200 new homes for older residents in the South-East of England.

The first scheme repurposes the former Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, Surrey, where Bennetts will construct 100 new apartments across a 23-acre estate close to Leatherhead and oversee the conversion of a Grade II-listed mansion into 12 two-bedroom homes in partnership with Audley Group and the Pension Insurance Corporation; a specialist refurbishment contractor will be appointed separately to restore the heritage building and establish the communal facilities that will anchor the village.

In Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, the contractor will deliver a second 100-unit, purpose-built retirement scheme for Octopus and operating partner Elysian Residences. Having completed enabling works earlier this year, the project will break ground in January 2026 and is scheduled for an 81-week construction programme, positioning practical completion for late 2027.

Visuals released by Octopus depict a low-density, landscape-led layout that blends individual cottages with central amenities, reinforcing the operator’s focus on wellness, independence and optional care services.

Octopus Capital’s Development Director, Marcus Adam, said the decision demonstrates the firm’s determination to “tackle the UK’s chronic undersupply of specialist housing for older people” despite sector-wide planning delays and macroeconomic headwinds, adding that progress on these communities signals to investors that well-capitalised sponsors can still unlock viable pipelines. For Bennett Construction, Director Mark Keyes highlighted the opportunity to extend the company’s track record in premium later-living assets and underlined the strategic value of simultaneously managing a heritage retrofit and a contemporary new-build, capabilities increasingly valued by institutional capital allocating to the sector.

For investors and operators, the twin appointments underscore three themes: demand resilience in the affluent South-East catchment; the attractiveness of mixed-tenure, service-rich villages capable of supporting both active and higher-care residents; and the importance of pairing experienced developers with contractors equipped to navigate heritage sensitivities and programme certainty.

Taken together, the schemes reinforce Octopus Capital’s ambition to scale a £1 billion senior-living platform and illustrate how collaborative delivery models can translate into defensible, long-term income streams backed by demographic fundamentals.