Later living developer appoints former L&Q boss as chair

He was also previously chair of the G15 group of large London housing associations and served on the board of the National Housing Federation. He was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to housing in London.

As chair of Inspired Villages, Mr Montague will work alongside chief executive Nick Edwards, who has been with the business since October 2024.

Inspired Villages currently operates 11 retirement communities. It opened two schemes in Hampshire earlier this year and has two further sites under construction in Sonning Common and near Tunbridge Wells, plus four more in the short-term pipeline.

Mr Edwards said Mr Montague’s “wealth of experience makes him a fantastic addition, and his strategic insight will be invaluable to our board and executive committee as we enter our next chapter”.

He continued: “I look forward to introducing him to our communities so he can see first-hand the positive impact we’re delivering for our residents and local communities. He joins at a pivotal time for the business as we increase our focus on creating vibrant, connected communities that put our resident experience at the heart of everything we do.”

Mr Montague said he would “continue the fantastic work already being done”.

He added: “Retirement communities have such a significant role to play in a diverse and prosperous housing market, so it’s great to be part of a business that supports the provision of older people’s housing in such a transformative way.”

Inspired Villages was founded in 2008 as English Care Villages, which ran two villages in Warwick and Cheshire prior to being purchased by L&G in 2017 for £40m. Homes in the villages are available to buy with the option to pay for care when residents need it.

Inspired Villages also worked with housing associations, including Places for People and Anchor, to run some homes for rent.

Last week, Inside Housing revealed that housing-with-care operators, MPs and peers have called for the government to bring forward a national planning policy for older people’s housing to scale up development and help England adapt to its ageing population.