A new housing strategy for all?

Building on the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report and in anticipation of the upcoming government Housing Strategy, which is expected to focus on measures that facilitate the goal of constructing 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, the Housing LIN reached out to several members for their insights. We asked them to share their perspectives on what should be included in the Strategy to address the housing needs and aspirations of an ageing population.

Not surprisingly, the common theme across all responses is the urgent need for the Housing Strategy to address the housing needs of an ageing population. Key points include:

• The importance of increasing the supply of age-appropriate housing, particularly through social rent and supported housing.
• There is a focus on improving housing design, making it accessible and adaptable, while encouraging intergenerational communities.
• Additionally, respondents emphasise the role of technology, investment in refurbishment, and the need for government support, including funding, planning reforms, and policy changes.

Overall, the responses stress the importance of providing choice, flexibility, and well-designed homes that support independence and well-being.

To coincide with HAPPI Awareness Week (9-13 December 2024), here we present their thoughts in this blog.

Committed to helping people live independently, Jonathan Layzell, Chief Officer for Customer Experience and Growth at Stonewater, said:

“As a leading provider of social housing, we must pay consideration to the fact that many of our customers are some of the most vulnerable in society. 

Through our INVITE project, we found a strong desire from older residents to be empowered to ‘age in place’. We would therefore like to see Government increase investment for providers to be effective facilitators of assistive support technologies.

This will help establish a ‘home first’ approach to social care by enabling people to live independently for longer. These technologies include hot water dispensers, key turners, easy grip cutlery, big button TV remotes and doorknob grips to prevent accidents and reduce reliance on carers.

Support should also be increased for effective partnerships between housing, health and social care providers to encourage person-led solutions, data sharing and reduced waiting times for individuals to access support to live independently.”

With a focus on innovation and technology, Craig Barlow, Managing Director at Appello, added:

“At Appello, we believe the upcoming Housing Strategy review presents a crucial opportunity to empower both older adults and social housing providers through the adoption of technology. We urge the government to prioritise funding and support for social housing providers to adopt digital technologies that mitigate the impending crisis as analogue equipment increasingly fails across the new digital network getting worse until the switchover is completed over the next 2 years. This means ensuring access to affordable internet connectivity, devices, and digital skills training for residents, while also supporting housing providers in implementing and managing innovative solutions like telecare, telehealth, and smart home technologies. This investment will not only improve lives and protect the vulnerable but also contribute to a more sustainable and efficient social care system."

Highlighting the importance of choice in housing, Nigel Saunders, Director at Pozzoni, commented:
 

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in the design of our nation’s future housing solutions, especially those that respond to our expanding ageing population, its needs and aspirations.

In considering what to build and where, there is a compelling social, health and economic case for housing provision in later life to be a key part of the “big picture” solution to the nation’s housing crisis.

Our big ask is that greater choice is provided. Housing our ageing population is not a one size fits all agenda. We need to raise the aspirational bar, providing greater choices for people in later life to help them maintain active, fulfilling lifestyles in a range of settings.

Whilst specialist housing is important in providing support and care for those that require it in later life, we also need to be providing intergenerational solutions, creating places for all age communities to grow and thrive together.

We are privileged that our work at Pozzoni is so diverse, embracing homes for all age groups, types, tenures and levels of affordability. It gives us the opportunity to look holistically across housing typologies, as we are currently doing within our proposals for a new 600-home “healthy neighbourhood” alongside the North Manchester General Hospital. This project highlights the opportunities for the government’s Housing Strategy to embrace and encourage a range of housing solutions for all ages, thereby contributing positively to communities’ social, health and economic outcomes. Whilst solving the housing crisis, we seize the opportunity to deliver much needed social value and celebrate the lifestyle benefits of age diverse communities across the country.”

Advocating for a Housing Strategy that recognises the diverse needs within an ageing population, Claire Wise, Assistant Director of Care & Support Strategy at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, noted:

“As a national social housing provider, MTVH is committed to providing services that meet the diverse needs of people in the areas where we operate. One core strand of our service delivery is through our specialist housing and commissioned services delivery. We own and manage a sizeable stock of supported housing and housing for older people. This accommodation provides the foundation from which residents can settle and receive support for a range of needs including mental health, homelessness and learning disabilities.

We know that there is an increasing demand for supported housing and older people’s housing. We need a Housing Strategy that recognises that individuals and families have different routes into long term tenancies; some of which will be through services within which they can receive support to sustain future tenancies.  Whilst there are great examples of supported housing developments, much of the existing and older stock is dated, some is made up of rooms sharing kitchens and bathrooms, and have limited potential for refurbishment or redevelopment. We need the strategic planning and capital funding to provide good quality housing for those needing it at key moments in their life journeys. Alongside delivery of new, and refurbishment of existing supported and older people’s housing, we need a strategy that recognises the importance of housing mobility; the ability to move home according to circumstances and preferences. Stimulating this mobility will enable people to move at the right time and to the right place.

The size and scale of supported housing and later living developments can be starkly different to general needs social housing and mixed tenure schemes. This makes the resources and expertise required also quite different to larger developments. Local authority needs and priorities also change over time and so we need capital funding and planning policies to reflect this resource and need for flexibility, ensuring that housing providers can commit to delivering a specialist product with the assurance of viability and future occupancy.

The supported housing sector is rich with expertise and commitment. It would be great to see national policy and funding match that commitment to deliver true and long term improvements to a much needed housing product.”

Stressing the urgency of expanding later-living housing, Martyn Craddock, Chief Executive of the United St Saviour’s Trust, stated:

“As highlighted in the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, England urgently needs accessible, purpose-built homes to address the growing needs of an ageing population. By 2035, nearly 29% of the population will be over 60, yet current housing supply falls drastically short. Increasing the construction of later-living homes from 7,000 to at least 30,000 annually is essential to meet this demand.

At United St Saviour’s Charity, we support the taskforce’s recommendations and urge the government’s Housing Strategy to prioritise specialist housing solutions. Projects like our award-wining HAPPI-inspired development in Bermondsey, Appleby Blue, demonstrate how innovative approaches, such as Section 106 agreements, can deliver high-quality homes that support independence and choice for older people while fostering community connections.

Good design and location, combined with quality services, are key—housing must not only meet physical needs but also promote well-being, offer an aspirational choice foster social connection. Designing for older people is designing for everyone. Developers and architects must be incentivised to apply the same high design quality standards to social housing as they do to private developments."

Focused on designing care-ready accommodation and thinking about inclusive and diverse housing solutions, Louise Drew, partner and head of building communities at Shakespeare Martineau, said:

"Designing care-ready homes from the outset is vital to support people as they age and ensure they can live comfortably and safely without the need for major renovations or disruptive moves.

Care-ready accommodation goes beyond basic accessibility – simple yet effective design moderations involves creating homes that can be easily adapted to meet changing needs and can make a huge difference to the quality of life for older people.

Homes should accommodate not only those who are fit and mobile in their 50s but also those with varying levels of mobility or cognitive decline. This includes considerations for people with hearing loss, vision impairment or dementia.

This includes widening doorways to accommodate wheelchairs, installing sockets at hip height for easy access, and ensuring bathrooms and kitchens are designed to be adaptable for future mobility challenges. Design features such as large windows with low sills, good ventilation systems and easy-grip ironmongery also contribute to making homes more comfortable and safer for older people.

Designing homes with these features from the start would significantly reduce the need for costly modifications later and support individuals in ageing in place. Research, such as the work by Professor Mayhew, has demonstrated that if more homes were designed to meet the needs of older people, we could reduce the number of new homes required each year while freeing up more housing for younger buyers.

Care-ready housing is not just beneficial to the individual; it also presents long-term cost savings for the NHS. Substandard housing costs the NHS approximately £1.4 billion annually due to preventable health issues arising from poorly designed homes. By ensuring homes are care-ready, we can mitigate the risks of falls, injuries and other health problems, ultimately reducing healthcare costs and improving overall wellbeing.

The second priority should be the introduction of a requirement for a percentage of affordable homes to be fulfilled by age-friendly accommodation. This would involve ensuring a portion of all new affordable housing developments includes homes specifically designed to meet the needs of older people.

For example, if a housing development is required to provide 30% affordable housing, a certain percentage (e.g. 10%) should be designated for age-friendly homes. This would help address the significant gap in affordable housing options for older people, particularly those in lower to middle-income brackets and create a more inclusive housing market.

This requirement could be formalised within the planning system, ensuring developers are incentivised to integrate age-friendly design into their affordable housing projects. In turn, this would expand the availability of specialist, supported living options while also providing a more inclusive range of mainstream housing. This approach ensures older people and those with

disabilities are not excluded from affordable housing opportunities and are given the chance to live in homes that cater to their specific needs.

Moreover, integrating age-friendly homes into the affordable housing mix would help reduce the strain on the housing market, while supporting ageing in place. It would also reflect the diverse needs of the growing ageing population, acknowledging that affordable housing is not just about cost but also about accessibility, adaptability and liveability.

These two steps ensure we are building homes that not only accommodate the needs of older people but also provide them with the ability to live comfortably and independently as they age. By incorporating these principles into the housing agenda, we can create a more inclusive, sustainable and cost-effective housing market that benefits individuals, communities and public services alike."

Highlighting the importance of building more social rented housing, Sarah Jones, Chief Executive of Anchor, replied:

“House building is rightly a Government priority, and with more than 10 million people in England aged 65 and over, socially rented and affordable older people’s housing must be seen as central.

Anchor’s Fragmented UK report showed 35% of those aged over 55 would be likely to consider dedicated housing for older people and the government’s Older People’s Housing Taskforce reports a need for up to 50,000 new later living homes a year - yet only 7,000 are being delivered.

The Older People’s Housing Taskforce makes valuable recommendations for increasing the supply of housing for older people, which can bring enormous benefits for older people themselves and free up larger properties for families.

Good quality age-appropriate housing and support brings huge benefits for residents - enabling people to live independently for longer and helping tackle loneliness – reducing pressure on public services. At Anchor, we’re keen to work with government and partners to increase supply particularly in the social rented sector, where demand hugely exceeds supply.

As well as enabling older people to live independently for longer, each new home for older people frees up housing and bedrooms for younger families and first-time buyers, making housing more accessible and affordable for all.

At Anchor, we are committed to meeting demand and increasing housing options for people in later life through our strong development programme, delivering an average of at least five hundred homes a year over a rolling ten-year period, with at least seventy percent of those homes being for social rent.

With one in four of us expected to be over the age of 65 by 2038, it’s crucial government supports the development of more socially rented housing dedicated to older people and 10% of Homes England & GLA’s capital funding budgets goes to the construction of social rented housing for older people.

Government should now move quickly to ensure planning reforms support development of older people’s housing through a new planning classification, an overarching strategy and more funding for housing with care and 10% allocation in local plans for housing for older people.

Planning for housing for older people should also have a presumption in favour of additional density. More homes are often needed to make schemes viable as lettable space is reduced by essential communal spaces and facilities.

Investing in older peoples’ housing has benefits for all in society. With Government adopting these simple measures, we can futureproof later life, benefiting not only the older people of today but those of tomorrow, and fulfilling the potential of our ageing society.”

And, calling for an integrated approach to housing and ageing, Mario Ambrosi, Chair of the Housing and Ageing Alliance, said:

“Almost one in five of us is 65 or over yet far too few homes across the UK meet the needs of our ageing society – and addressing that should be at the heart of the government’s housing strategy. As an alliance, we recognise action’s needed on multiple fronts. It’s as important to support adaptations for existing homes as it is to ensure new mainstream homes are accessible and increase supply of dedicated older people’s housing. Individuals also need help to navigate to the right option for them. The Older People’s Housing Taskforce did an excellent job of defining the solutions. Many are simple, such as immediately implementing the adoption of Part M4(2) of the Building Regulations for all new housing. Ministers should act on the recommendations quickly, embedding change via the housing strategy. As the taskforce acknowledged, getting this right can support people to live well for longer - and linking housing and health through an Office for an Ageing Population could provide real momentum for the step change that’s so desperately needed.”

The Housing LIN is proud to be a member of and host the Housing and Ageing Alliance (HAA) on its website. The HAA’s 15 point Manifesto sets out a clear mission for meeting the housing needs for our ageing population and calls for a national strategy.

Acknowledgements

With thanks to everyone who contributed to this blog. Your insights are invaluable in shaping the conversation on housing for our ageing population and ensuring that the upcoming Housing Strategy meets the diverse needs of older adults across the country.

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About HAPPI Awareness Week

For a fifth year running, we are excited to celebrate HAPPI Awareness Week, an opportunity to raise awareness around the Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) principles and the virtues of designing care-ready accommodation and age-friendly housing services.

The HAPPI principles are based on 10 key design criteria. Many are recognisable from good design generally - good light, ventilation, room to move around and good storage - but they have particular relevance to the spectrum of older persons' housing which needs to both offer an attractive alternative to the family home, and be able to adapt over time to meet changing needs.

Read more about this here.