After seven years of planning, the building of a new retirement village is finally underway in Corsham.

Set on 25 acres, developer Rangeford has taken over the former HMS Royal Arthur Naval Base to build 242 apartments for the over-60s.

The village, Wadswick Green, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 with the first apartments being finished in January 2015.

There will be eight blocks and a pavilion made up of one, two and three-bedroom apartments with prices starting from £205,000. A care service and GP will also be on the site as well as accommodation for residents’ guests.

Plans include a leisure complex, restaurant and a spa with talks still ongoing on whether non-residents from the area can use the facilities.

Sales manager Nick Martin said: “It’s never been done in the UK on this kind of scale. We are trying to get away from a cliché retirement village.

“It was just a plot of large, derelict, decaying buildings so we are tidying the area up and we have had no complaints from the local community.”

Tours of the site are being offered, which has included members of the community, who Mr Martin said have been “really positive” about the new development.

Ruth Hopskinson, chairman of Corsham Town Council, said it had fully supported the development because it brought back use of the Royal Arthur site the was derelict and subject to vandalism for many years.

She said: “It appears to be very well designed. I hope those who take up residence will enjoy being in Corsham.”