A REVOLUTIONARY idea has been put forward to turn one of the Cotswolds best known towns into a community centred on the care of older people.

Tetbury could be turned into Britain’s leading retirement haven, creating a whole new industry for the town by providing expert services and infrastructure for the elderly.

The town has one of the highest numbers of older people per capita in Britain and at Tetbury’s annual town meeting last week Dr Tony Walsh said he believed this could be built on for the future prosperity of the town.

There are already three care homes in the town and two retirement villages are on the way.

Much of Tetbury’s industry has moved away in recent decades and Dr Walsh said it was unlikely that big business would be attracted to the town.

“There is just a chance that we could develop a meaningful industry for Tetbury,” he said. “What we have got is a lot of old people.”

Almost a third of Cotswold District’s population, 25,000 people, is over 60, according to the 2011 census – a 20 per cent increase from 2001.

Dr Walsh said the idea was just a “twinkle in his eye” at the moment but it could provide an answer for the future prosperity of Tetbury.

Rob Fountain, CEO of Age UK Gloucestershire, said: “What we would not wish to see is older people only living with other older people.

“It should be remembered that many older people like to be around younger generations and they often want to do the same things – they just may need a little help and support to make it happen.”

Mandy Scott is project manager at Tetbury youth group The People’s Pod.

She said: “We encourage innovative thinking about our community, and accept that this idea will have pros and cons for our community."

“We would welcome the opportunity to engage in wider conversations, hearing the differing viewpoints of other people and associations, and from an inclusive atmosphere we would like to share our thoughts, hear others and allow our joint opinion to influence what’s right for our community.”