Planning & Construction News

Housing for seniors: How can local authorities better plan for an ageing society?

July 25, 2022

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We are all getting older – let’s at least try to plan for it, says Nicola Gooch, planning partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell. Here, Nicola pleads the case for local authorities to better prepare for an ageing society by adopting local plans that support a greater provision of seniors’ housing

The latest census data showed just how rapidly our society is ageing. The 65+ population in England has grown by almost 1.7m since the 2011 census and stood at 10.4m as of mid-2021. By 2037, it is forecast that one in four of us will be over 65.

This is a major demographic shift and one for which we are not currently prepared. We have recently launched the latest Unlocking Potential for Seniors Housing report – which we prepared jointly with Knight Frank.

The research combines demographic data with an analysis of local plan policies in England to produce an “opportunity score” identifying the areas which provide the best opportunities for seniors’ housing developments.

As this is the third time that we have run the research, it also tracks the progress being made in sector specific planning policies since 2017.

What did the Unlocking Potential for Seniors Housing report find?

While the results demonstrate that progress is being made, it is happening far too slowly.

The Unlocking Potential for Seniors Housing report finds:

Over a third (36%) of local authorities don’t currently have clear policies in place to support housing for seniors.
The percentage of local authorities who’ve adopted seniors’ housing planning policies and allocated sites in their local plans has improved, increasing from 9.7% in 2017 to 23.3% in 2022.
The percentage of local authorities with no clear policies to address seniors’ housing has also reduced – from 62% to 36.2%.

While this shows an improvement over the past five years, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done. Since our last survey in 2020, 13 local authorities have actually moved backwards in the planning grading. And currently it still stands that less than a quarter of local authorities have clear senior housing policies and site allocations in place. This means we won’t be prepared to provide enough suitable housing for our ageing population in the coming years.

It is not, however, all doom and gloom. Some local authorities have made real leaps forward since we last published this report in 2020. Tunbridge Wells, for example, has jumped from 171st in the overall private opportunity area rankings to an impressive 6th place. This comes because of an increased level of investment in the area, a supportive local council and a significantly improved planning policy position in the emerging local plan (which is currently at examination).

The number of London boroughs appearing in the top 15 in the private opportunity area rankings has also tripled, from two in 2020 to six in 2022, with Kensington & Chelsea, Camden. Southwark, Brent, Hounslow and Havering making the grade.

Specialist housing for seniors can improve quality of life

The case for more specialist housing for seniors is undeniable. It has been shown, repeatedly, that not only do these developments improve the quality of life for their residents (delaying the point at which people need to move into care homes, and reducing overall pressure on the NHS), but they release much-needed underoccupied family housing stock on to the market as residents downsize.

The housing for seniors sector is highly innovative

A number of developers of Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) are bringing forward developments that are way ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainability and community engagement. Plans are in place for schemes that are carbon neutral, wholly or largely powered by renewable energy and which deliver almost double the government’s 10% biodiversity net gain targets.

We are all getting older, it is inevitable, so why not plan for it?

If we can put in place enough provision to ensure that every older person has a real choice of appropriate housing available to them, regardless of their care needs and levels of wealth, the benefits could be huge. Not only could we make a real impact on the housing crisis and reduce pressure on the NHS, but it could be a much better way of living for many.

Nicola Gooch