The Housing Forum has contributed to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce’s call for evidence. Older people’s housing has been a significant focus for us and our members, most notably via our recent publication:
In our response we highlighted the following evidence:
In looking at older people’s housing it is helpful to focus on housing built specifically for older people or housing that meets needs associated with aging, but to recognise that this specialist housing will only ever house a minority of older people at any one time. Location, the availability of bungalows, knowledge and support are all important for older people considering a move to better-suited housing.
Tenure is critical – there has been a big growth in owner-occupation in older age groups in recent decades and most look to remain in owner-occupation if and when they move to specialist older people’s housing.
The one exception here is older people in small houses, such as ‘two up two down’ terraced housing who need to move to single-storey living or housing that meets other age-related needs but are unable to afford suitable open market housing. Shared ownership can be a useful tenure option here.
The lack of adaptability is a key reason why some of the older sheltered housing in the country has had to be demolished over the last 20-30 years, as it failed to meet modern expectations over things such as private bathrooms or accessibility. There remains an issue with low-demand sheltered housing in need of remodelling or demolition.
A key change over recent years has been for older people with higher levels of independence to remain in mainstream housing, and for sheltered or specialist housing to be catering for people with a wider range of mobility and health issues. This trend may well continue as the population ages, meaning that older people’s housing must meet both current needs, and be adaptable to meet higher levels of needs in the future.
Older people’s housing does not always need to be segregated for older people alone. Younger people with disabilities may have some similar needs, and there are examples of successful mixed age communities.
Our recommendations for the task force:
- Include a focus on attracting wealthier households who are under-occupying larger family homes into more suitable accommodation, also freeing up larger homes for families.
- Focus on specialist housing for older people, but within an understanding of the wider housing system.
- Include a diversity of products, locations, prices and tenure models to meet diverse needs.
- Consider guidance and clarity around for local authorities around planning use class distinctions. A lot of modern schemes fall somewhere between Class C3 (Residential) and C2 (Residential Institutions) and the difference can be critical in gaining planning permission and ensuring financial viability – this is because Class C3 developments are obliged to provide Affordable Housing under S106 agreements and Class C2 are not.
- Ensure that the changes proposed in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, including the proposed Infrastructure Levy take account of the needs for older people’s housing and give clarity about the requirements for payments sought from different types of older people’s housing.
Date:
A Quality Home for All
The Housing Forum campaigns for a quality home for all. If you’d like to find out more about our mission, we’d love to talk to you.