Issue 1: A ground-breaking day
June 10th 2010
There was great excitement at the Verve development site recently when Susan Parr donned a hard hat and safety vest, and climbed into the cabin of an enormous excavator to turn Verve's first sod.
Susan is the CEO of St Ann's Homes, and the visionary behind Verve.
"The idea of a brand new concept in retirement living occurred to me when I realised that accommodation options will need to change for the next generation," Susan said.
"Just as baby boomers have transformed lifestyle standards and expectations in every other decade they have lived through, we can expect they will also do it again when they retire.
"They won’t want to accept traditional ideas that were devised for their parents. So I started thinking about what people will be looking for in future."
It began a blue-sky process of dreaming, planning and imagining, that continues now as new technologies inspire new ideas.
"We keep thinking of ways we will be able to improve the offer at Verve, so that it will provide the optimum lifestyle," Susan said. "Flexible living is top of my list, so that no-one feels they have to try and fit into a box that we have devised. It is also very important that Verve offers an authentic community environment. Just as in any other neighbourhood, there will be people who work to varying degrees - variety in your community keeps it alive and interesting. "
Once the concept began to take shape, then came the fun part of planning the inclusions within the apartments and throughout the site. Cutting edge technologies meant that the latest energy-friendly options will be standard at Verve, and the focus on lifestyle ensured apartment dimensions will be roomy.
And now that the sod is turned, every day is exciting, as the process of transforming a dream into reality takes shape in front of us. Key dates will be posted in our next issue, but in the meantime, please keep an eye on our website for 'what’s news' and new images.
Or if you haven't done so yet, come and visit our bathroom and kitchen display site. We look forward to keeping in touch as this exciting project progresses.
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