We are failing to meet the housing needs of older people.
This is true, and we have failed to meet their needs for many years.
Local plans produced by districts, boroughs and cities across the country rarely have provision for housing for older people and, where they do, it is usually unsophisticated and limited to care homes or sheltered accommodation.
Councils are having to build homes, or modify existing properties at great expense, to meet the needs of an ageing population.
Considering the over-65s demographic is set to grow from 11.2 million today to 17.2 million by 2040, with older people accounting for between 25 and 30 per cent of the population in many areas, this is a travesty.
It is pleasing to see, however, that in a consultation launched by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in December, on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, specialist housing for older people is mentioned.
It suggests councils should focus on delivering more care home, retirement and assisted-living developments in their areas.
Without housing options, older people tend to stay in their family homes. This, in itself, restricts the market by blocking those homes, so they are not available for new families.
By providing more and desirable options for people aged over 55, they are more likely to move into homes that meet their needs, and the different levels of assistance or care that they require as they get older.
This will release larger homes back into the market, enabling younger families to use them. The knock-on effect will free smaller homes and so aid mobility, especially for younger generations.
Anything that improves options for older people and further frees the housing market should be supported. The DLUHC consultation concludes in March.
