Apartments at retirement complex on Rugby's Oakfield Rec go on sale as construction continues

How the complex is expected to look once finished.

The developer behind a retirement complex on Bilton Road, which spawned a long-running planning battle, has announced that apartments will shortly be on sale.

Developers McCarthy Stone were finally given permission to build Knox Court on the site of Oakfield Rec after a years-long planning dispute that spawned a residents’ campaign that garnered attention from the national press.

The park had been owned by the Heart of England Co-Operative and leased to Rugby Borough Council – but in June 2016 the Co-op fenced it off after being turned down for planning permission to build houses on the site.

Then, in December 2018, Rugby council’s planning committee rejected an application to build a retirement village of 62 apartments and 14 bungalows on the park.

Throughout the dispute, a group named Save Oakfield Rec, headed by Richard Joy, worked tirelessly to highlight the cherished park’s importance to the community.

And in February 2020, Rugby’s planning committee voted to approve a modified plan – which saw McCarthy Stone permitted to build a slightly reduced retirement complex providing they handed over half the land to the borough council so it could once again be used as a park.

The plan also saw McCarthy Stone fund goal posts in the reinstated park, while also funding other improvements to Whinfield Rec and Caldecott Park.

At the time, Richard Joy of Save Oakfield Rec said: “"It does feel as though someone has pinched £100 and expects some praise for giving back £50.

"As you can guess, my personal boycott of the Co-op will continue.”

And now, as construction of Knox Court continues, the developer said they will soon be taking reservations for one and two-bedroom apartments.

To this end, they will be holding two reservation information days on July 21 and 22, running from 11am to 4pm at Oakfield Club on Bilton Road.

Davis Meacham, divisional sales director for McCarthy Stone, said: “We’re very excited to announce that the wait is almost over for Rugby locals to reserve a stylish apartment at Knox Court.

“Knox Court will offer residents easy access to nearby shops and restaurants. I would urge interested purchasers to get in touch and book a one-to-one appointment as soon as possible.”

The developer said the first residents are expected to be moving in in 2023.