SCORES of people packed into a public exhibition in Warminster on Tuesday to find out more about a new McCarthy and Stone development proposal.

The UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement living communities staged a public exhibition at The Athenaum for its latest scheme.

Although only in the design stage, it gave locals the opportunity to view and comment on the company's proposals to demolish the former Woodmead Care Home on the Portway and build a retirement living complex.

The company wants to build 40 units within a single three-storey building, complete with a kitchenette, guest rooms and landscaped gardens.

The brownfield site sits within the Conservation Area and close to Warminster’s town centre. It is close to Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed buildings.

The former Woodmead Care Home has lain disused for around five years. It once housed 48 residents.

One of the locals was Sheila Doman, a former care worker at Woodmead. She said: "It is lovely to see something happening to it after being left derelict for five years."

Gian Bendinelli, one of the planning consultants for the scheme, said they are likely to submit a planning application in April following public consultation.

If the plans get the go-ahead, the company hopes to start work in March 2021.

no planning application has been submitted.

More than 2,000 residents, businesses and stakeholders were invited to attend the public exhibition.

Shane Paull, Regional Managing Director at McCarthy and Stone, said: “Our plans provide an important opportunity to deliver much-needed specialist retirement living accommodation on sustainable, brownfield site, which is ideally located to provide homes for older people close to the town centre.”

He added: “We are proposing a high-quality redevelopment which will improve the appearance of this derelict site and enhance the character of the surrounding area.

“Through our consultation, we want to hear from the local community and our future customers about our preliminary design and ideas, before we progress further with our plans.

McCarthy and Stone’s plans propose to replace the existing building on site, which is vacant and in disrepair.

Mr Bendinelli says the scheme has been carefully designed to contribute positively to the street scene and to respect neighbouring properties.

The proposed layout will ensure that the majority of the site’s boundary trees are retained.

It will include new landscaping, including attractive shared garden spaces, together with on-site car parking for 25 vehicles.

The over-65s population in Wiltshire is predicted to rise significantly over the course of the next 20 years.

Wiltshire Council’s Core Strategy, adopted in January 2015, which is the authority’s development policy strategy for the period up to 2026, highlights the importance of providing tailored accommodation for older people.

Typically, most residents moving to a McCarthy and Stone development move from within a four-mile radius from the development, releasing family housing back into the local market.