St Albans MP Anne Main made a ground-breaking appearance at a major new assisted living development last week.

Herts Advertiser: Anne Main MP with Ali Maruf, left, at the London Road siteAnne Main MP with Ali Maruf, left, at the London Road site (Image: Archant)

She visited Eleanor House on London Road to officially mark the start of the build by placing the first spade in the ground.

Clad in a hard hat/hi-vis jacket combo, Anne joined Ali Maruf, regional managing director for developer McCarthy and Stone North London, at the site.

Anne said: “It was a pleasure to mark the start of construction at Eleanor House, and to find out more about how this exciting new development will continue to take shape and become an important landmark for local retirees.

“Enjoying an independent, active and secure lifestyle is incredibly important at any age, and it is fantastic to see the provision of assisted living apartments such as these in our local area. Eleanor House will provide further choice for those who are looking to downsize to a more manageable property.”

Named Eleanor House in honour of Eleanor of Castile – the wife of King Edward I – the development will feature 47 one and two bedroom apartments, each with a private balcony. Designed for those aged 70 and over, the apartments will be released for off-plan sales in the spring, with the first homeowners expected to move in this summer.

Ali Maruf said: “I’d like to personally thank Anne Main MP for helping us to celebrate the start on site at our new St Albans development by leading an official ground-breaking ceremony.

“Eleanor House has been carefully designed to meet the needs of those in later life who are looking to downsize in style with the added benefit of flexible on-site support to help homeowners stay independent for longer.

“We are pleased to have secured such a prime place in the highly-sought after area of St Albans, and unsurprisingly this Grade A location has already garnered a lot of interest.”