Work has begun on a two-year project to build a £20m care village for retired and elderly people near Wantage.

Up to 230 people could be accommodated at the complex being built in Letcombe Regis.

When the project is finished, there will be 73 village apartments for independent living, a 30-bed nursing home and 74 serviced apartments, including an area for dementia care.

Other facilities include a restaurant, cafe, IT room, library, craft rooms and a bowling green, spa and swimming pool.

Richmond Villages, the company building the complex, runs similar sites in Coventry and Northampton.

Last year it got planning permission from West Oxfordshire District Council for a scheme in Witney.

Founder and managing director Keith Cockell said: "At a local level Richmond Letcombe Regis will go some way to addressing the growing demand for quality accommodation, care and services in an environment that provides a real alternative to the conventional care home while ensuring residents can maintain a sense of independence and value."

Properties will be available to buy later this summer and the first residents are expected to move in from January 2010.