PLANS for 44 new retirement homes have been approved.

The development in Stow on the disused site in Roman Road was passed by Cotswold District Council.

The one and two bedroom apartments, designed for those aged 70 and over will be developed by McCarthy and Stone.

Robert Monkman, regional sales and marketing director for McCarthy and Stone West Midlands, said: "We are pleased to announce we have received planning approval for the scheme at Stow-on-the-Wold.

"The feedback from the consultation process was extremely useful and we have worked with members of the community to develop plans that reflect their wishes, and which are sensitive to the local architecture and character of the village.”

The development is a Retirement Living Plus scheme, the new name for Assisted Living, built in a way to help homeowners maintain an independent lifestyle.

Security entrance systems and 24 hour emergency call points will be built in the site, with a homeowners lounge, landscaped gardens and a guest suite also part of the plans.

McCarthy and Stone estimates that the average total expenditure per year generated by its homeowners in the local economy for a scheme such as this is around £670,000.

The retirement living company say the plans will see them employ around 60 local companies, with additional job opportunities once the scheme opens.

In 2016, plans to redevelop the land just north of the Tesco store at Fosse Way in Stow were rejected by Cotswold District Council, with problems regarding some parts of the plan, which have now been rectified.

In 2014 Cotswold District Council granted outline planning permission for 44 extra care apartments

on the site.