30 Sep 2026
Nestled away from view behind Burston Garden Centre is a surprising find, an entire village community designed to provide quality accommodation for the district’s older population.
It’s a self-contained 13-acre space just outside Chiswell Green on the North Orbital Road, open to visitors from the local area and beyond, providing somewhere which the owners believe their own parents would want to live.
“The first thing we hear when sons and daughters come here with their parents, is ‘This is amazing, I could live here’,” explains Sandy Spencer, director of strategy, customer and brand.
City centre shoppers might have come across a unit at Christopher Place Shopping Centre last year which offered an insight into what The Oakleigh had to offer and explaining its ethos.
Devised by Elysian Residences (the name comes from a paradise which forms the final resting place of the heroic and virtuous in Greek mythology) The Oakleigh is based on a concept which has already proved successful in Australia and New Zealand, and includes a bar, library, gym, events spaces, restaurant and private dining, in fact everything you’d expect from a typical out-of-town development.
The only real difference is that the residents of the 126 apartments and cottages have to be 65-plus, with the aim of providing an alternative yet accessible retirement experience to that found elsewhere in the district and beyond.
Viewers of Netflix series The Boroughs will have an idea of what to expect, albeit without any brain-sucking aliens lurking in the shadows (that I noticed).
There’s a real Center Parcs vibe to the site, with Scandi-style accommodation surrounding landscaped lawns and footpaths, and a curtain of mature trees around the boundary. All roads lead to the central hub, which has high hopes of becoming a lively focus for the entire local community, with nearby neighbours comfortably popping in for a coffee or a meal.
There are different outdoor terraces, lounges and spaces, aimed at ensuring members of the public would feel just at home having a cup of coffee there as a resident coming down in the morning.
“We’ve got an all-age approach to social vibrancy and movement which is important in making residents feel they’re not just with people of their own age. It gives you the feel of an open community. The right way to age is remaining connected to other generations and all of your local community.
“We don’t want to create a gated community which is shut off from other people, so while security is very important, we also want to keep the doors open.”
Although there are still construction crews on site making the final touches, The Oakleigh hopes to be welcoming its first residents next month, so there is an obvious focus on checking the facilities over with a fine toothcomb.
Served a barista-made mocha from the bar, I pull up a chair alongside Sandy, who explains that the whole concept of The Oakleigh is to challenge perceptions of what retirement is and can be.
“Some people have misconceptions of what it means to live in a community environment because this country doesn’t really have many good examples, so they don’t realise it can be a really great option for downsizing in later life.
“My parents are in their mid-70s, and they want all the things I’m sure many others want at that age, continuing a vibrant life, feeling very independent, maintaining a great sense of their own character and identity. This year the boomer generation turned 80, and they feel young, they feel good, and they’re looking at options that feel right for them.
“We wanted to create a place that has all of the soul and vibrancy and fun that you might expect in your mind’s eye of what retirement can be. We’re not here trying to please the stereotype, everyone’s very different and you have to design for that.”
It’s not just the accommodation and environment which residents are paying for, they also have the option to pick up extra services, whether that’s housekeeping, gardening, or even transport services into the city centre.
“We don’t want them to see any loss of connection to their life and community, so we have a car here that takes people into town for shopping trips, cinema visits, and even into London for the theatre, art galleries and other events.
“A lot of people want to maintain that connection to the wider world, but sometimes access and transport becomes tough.”
Probably until around the 1980s, elderly relatives were very much a part of the family, only for this long-established pattern to be replaced with a move to push them out and isolate them in retirement communities solely aimed at people of their own age.
“The British way is to age gracefully and go quietly, and not ask for anything you need to avoid being a burden on families, and I think that’s a real trap as it often results in physical and emotional loneliness. We want to offer options which encourage them to leave their larger houses for somewhere warm and inviting which feels like home.”
The soaring property prices in St Albans, Harpenden and the villages have meant a lot of older people who bought their homes in the ‘60s and ‘70s have been left property rich but cash poor, and they cannot afford to downsize elsewhere in the area.
In contrast, The Oakleigh is designed to allow people to sell, downsize and release equity, and if other similar schemes elsewhere in the country are anything to go by, these properties actually increase in value, ensuring residents’ children are still left with a legacy when their parents die rather than becoming some sort of money trap.
Heading off on a tour of the facilities we check out the Botané restaurant – typical seasonal dishes include crispy calamari and courgette, beetroot and goat’s cheese salad, wild mushroom tagliatelle, fish and chips and grilled sirloin steak – we head past the TV and games room and the entry area, where a shop stocked with Burston food and drink replaces the typical reception desk.
The accommodation itself is surprisingly spacious, with the cottages offering high ceilings into the eaves of the roof, and nowhere has that “care home” feeling, instead being very much along the lines of your typical new build on a suburban housing estate. There are also plenty of activities available to keep both body and mind active, either booked in person or using a bespoke app, including arts classes, supper lectures, Zumba, backgammon, boules and a gardening club, all either run by or featuring local experts.
It’s a lot to offer, but Sandy is convinced it’s the right approach for their residents, and wants to encourage more people from the local community to explore the facilities.
The Oakleigh team is hosting an open event on Saturday (October 3) from 2-5pm, offering a first-hand opportunity to look around the grounds and accommodation, as well as take part in autumn wreath-making workshops, and sample food and drink from Botané.
Other attractions include children’s activities, live music, and hand massages by Neal’s Yard in the library, with the aim of providing a relaxing taste of what The Oakleigh has in store.
To register your interest visit https://elysianresidences.com/news-events/oakleigh-community-launch.
