You’ll sometimes hear me talk about the significance of landmark moments for the later living sector. Today is one of them with the publication of the ‘Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population’ report from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce. This was a group of sector experts brought together in May 2023 to look at the provision of greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. A group that I was very proud to be a part of.
The report brings real focus to the housing challenges our aging population faces in the UK and the need for radical change in the way we approach housing in this country. By 2066, the number of people aged 65 and over will have grown by 8.3 million - equivalent to the population of London.
In recent months we’ve heard a lot about the housing crisis with plans to tackle the supply shortfall, with commitments to housing targets, and reforms to planning rules. Yet, to date, there has been very little on the types of homes that will be built and how issues will be resolved in a way that benefits not just first time buyers, but the whole population.
My hope is that today, and the following days and weeks, is when that changes.
The recommendations in the report set out to redress the balance in housing delivery and acknowledge just how vital the later living is to the wider housing market. Alone, each of these recommendations isn’t enough to make the difference required to overhaul the housing options for those in later life, but collectively they will deliver change that’s beneficial for generations to come .
These include actions that can be taken at both a national and local level and while I won’t run you through all 10, I wanted to highlight a few:
- The creation of a National Housing Strategy for an Ageing Population is pivotal to increasing the number of age specific homes that are built, which is currently well short of the needed level of 30,000 to 50,000 a year
- Establishing a joint unit (Office for an Ageing Population) between MHCLG and DHSC to create a plan of action
- Strengthening planning policy and insisting that every large scale development includes provision of specialist housing for older people as part of its planning application - in both new developments but also regeneration projects like we have seen at Brent Cross Town
- Greater regulation in the sector and the adoption of the Law Commission recommendations made in 2017 - both of which are imperative for transparency and consumer trust
- Continued creation of varied charging structures and scale are necessary to create affordability, as we need retirement living options at every price point
As the report says, we need collective leadership to achieve real change. This should just be the beginning and we mustn’t let the momentum wane - for the sake of housing, health and social care, and most importantly, for people across the UK that deserve more choice as to where and how they live as they age.
The Report mentioned and acknowledged visits to Audley Fairmile and our very own Mayfield Watford in Hertfordshire.
