Crane dismantled as Park Gardens enters final stages

It has been a permanent fixture on the Banbury skyline for almost two years but now a giant crane on the site of a £12m retirement living complex has been removed as the project nears completion.

The 115ft crane was dismantled in stages earlier this week as 24 tonnes of counterweights were taken off the Park Gardens site on Bath Road. Bromford announced that it is set to complete the build programme by May ahead of new residents moving in during summer 2019.

The crane has sat at the heart of the four-storey scheme during construction and has helped move 33,000 roof tiles weighing a huge 165 tonnes, as well as playing host to Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue in May 2017 as it used the crane to complete a daring rope rescue training exercise. Scaffolding has also been removed as finishing touches are made to the internal apartments and communal facilities as well as the landscaped gardens which sit adjacent to People’s Park.

The multi-million pound investment has seen 78 homes built exclusively for over 55s with options for rent and purchase on land previously belonging to Banbury and Bicester College. The college, which is part of Activate Learning, made the land available after relocating its media and motor vehicle facilities to a new, £6m centre, on the opposite side of Broughton Road more than three years ago.

Significant

A mixture of one and two-bed apartments are complemented by a range of on-site facilities including a café bistro and bar, lounge, activity studio, gym and hair and beauty salon. It represents the second retirement living development built by Bromford’s own construction team following the completion of School Gardens in Stourport-on-Severn in summer 2018.

Penny Downing, sales and marketing director, said: “This project has been a real labour of love and the removal of the crane from site is always a significant moment symbolically as we reach the final straight in bringing this exciting new retirement living lifestyle to Banbury.

“Already the development is bringing real life to this area of the town centre and once new residents start to move in later this year we expect Park Gardens to offer a safe, secure and happy home as well as a lively community for customers and the wider community to enjoy.”

Fancy learning more about Park Gardens? Call 01295 272848 or head to this page for further information.

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