But this development, in Scarborough, has two key differences – it's being built from scratch, and everyone who lives there will be retired.

Plaxton Court is a retirement village. It comprises 16 three-bedroom cottages and 53 self-contained flats, and it represents the future for older people's housing schemes.

Its amenities could also be used, via a membership or guest scheme, by non-residents in the local community.

Expected to welcome its first residents next month, Plaxton Court will be run by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), which also operates a similar development at Hartrigg Oaks near York.

Other villages are expected to spring up across Yorkshire as planners tackle the challenge of providing suitable accommodation for the region's ageing population.

Retired couple Bryan and Marlene Hodgson are preparing to move into Plaxton Court from their home in Scarborough, having put down a deposit six months before the opening date.

Mr Hodgson, 70, a retired civil engineer, said: "I've had two knee replacements and, where we're living at the moment, we've got two flights of stairs to contend with.

"There are lifts here, all the rooms have the adequate space we require and, if you look at the expense side of things, we're dropping down a whole load of money in terms of price.

"We won't be living in a home; we'll be living in our own home."

Mrs Hodgson, 69, said: "It's a fantastic complex and it's the ideal place for us as it has everything that we require. There's a library, a workshop, a health centre, shopping, a hairdresser's, a place for laundry, a café and a restaurant. When the time comes, there is the care package as well. This is definitely our last move."

JRHT's director of care services, John Kennedy, said some people were moving to Plaxton because of their current care needs while others were planning ahead.

"People make the choice for different reasons, but I think it's crucial that they're making the choice," he said.

"Other people can be forced into homes in later life because of their needs, but by that time they've lost the choice because social workers or family members start making decisions for them.

"The people moving into Plaxton are trying to make these decisions for themselves."

Facilities at Hartrigg Oaks, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, include a restaurant, library, music room, health centre and pool.

Mr Kennedy said: "It was one of the first modern-day retirement villages, but there are now large numbers of villages sprouting up around the country.

"Housing associations and registered social landlords are building them, but the private sector is also beginning to look more carefully at the opportunities.

"We're seeing schemes being built in places like Hull, Pickering and Huddersfield, and I think we will see more and more being developed, all with their own characteristics."

A 2006 report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a York-based social policy research charity, concluded that retirement villages brought wide-ranging benefits.

Health chiefs are now exploring how these benefits could be introduced to general housing estates where elderly or vulnerable people live.

Measures could include setting up a regular Sunday lunch club, organising night-time bus travel and having someone on call to help residents with benefit claims.