Adlington Retirement Living has welcomed Tom Bagnall to its land team, to support its ongoing expansion in the South.

Tom joins the business as Land Director with more than 20 years' experience in UK land, planning and development, including eight years spent with Audley Villages / Audley Group, most recently as national land director.

Josh Kite, Land and Planning Director for Adlington Retirement Living, said: “We're delighted to welcome Tom to the team. He brings with him extensive knowledge and experience of acquiring land for Integrated Retirement Communities. His skillset will complement our entrepreneurial approach to land acquisition and we're looking forward to his contribution in unearthing both on and off-market opportunities in suitable, aspirational locations.

“Tom is looking to secure land parcels of 2-6 acres on greenfield or brownfield sites in urban and suburban locations, close to existing facilities and amenities. His area of focus will stretch across the South.”

The new appointment is part of Adlington Retirement Living's strategic growth plan. Since 2008, the business has launched 18 Independent Retirement Communities across the North West, Yorkshire, Wales, Bedfordshire and the Midlands and its 19th community is set to open in Staffordshire in September.

Building work is underway for Adlington Retirement Living's 20th and 21st communities. Located in the highly sought after residential area of St Leonards in Exeter, the new community will be surrounded by parks and green spaces with fabulous southerly views over the River Exe and easy access to Exeter City Centre.

Having already grown to three sites every year, the family owned and run business is looking to achieve six new retirement community sites a year.

Dr Ed Gladman, Managing Director of Adlington Retirement Living, said: “Our vision is to empower the older generation to live a long, happy and healthy life. We do this by creating quality retirement communities in safe and secure environments and providing our homeowners with stimulating activities, extensive communal facilities and beautiful private gardens.

“Investing in our land team is part of our commitment to continued growth. In the past six years we have grown from 30 employees to a team of more than 250, with experts in land acquisition, planning, architectural and technical design, procurement, construction, sales and marketing, legal and community operations.”

In 2019, the business launched Adlington Management Services, to provide a consistent, outstanding service to its homeowners. They are responsible for the practical aspects of running a retirement community, such as maintaining the building, as well as the more emotional aspects. That part of their role is all about creating a caring, supportive environment to positively contribute to the health, happiness and well-being of homeowners. They ensure that every homeowner's experience exceeds their expectations.

In his new role, Tom will be responsible for reviewing new sites, new opportunities and appraising their potential in line with Adlington Retirement Living's stringent criteria.

Tom Bagnall said: “I'm really impressed with Adlington Retirement Living in terms of its ethos, business model and product. It's the only specialist developer of Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) that is exclusively focused on the mid market. It's also a family-owned and family-managed business that designs, builds and operates its own schemes. This means that quality is prioritised, and decisions can be made swiftly and sensibly. For instance, last year the team bought two sites within two weeks of their discovery and completed the entire process in a remarkably short time frame.

“I'm excited to be joining a dynamic business in such an important sector. I'm a big believer in the benefits of IRCs. They offer people a way to retain their independence for as long as possible, choosing where they want to live with the safety net of care options being readily available if they are needed in the future. They also keep older people engaged with wider society which is key to tackling loneliness and isolation in later years.”

Adlington Retirement Living has more than 1000 happy homeowners. A recent homeowner survey confirmed that 100% would recommend living in an Adlington Retirement Community to friends or family.

For more information on Adlington Retirement Living please visit www.adlington.co.uk.