Conclusion and recommendations.............................................48

The report makes a number of recommendations that may help to reduce the numerous constraints to supply, investment and demand in the market for specialised housing for older people, and for retirement living communities in particular.

Recommendations

At the national level

• National government should build a strong, clear vision about housing for people as they age.

• National frameworks could be used to promote consistency across different local authorities, for example in the definition and application of planning use classes, site allocation, and assessment of local need.

• Greater clarity is required around the strategic objectives of government for housing and ageing. For example, greater clarity is required around the joint priorities of

‘downsizing’ and ‘ageing in place’, and how these priorities can be best implemented at the local level.

• Given the short supply of specialised retirement housing options, housing conditions could be improved in the longer-term through the application of higher and/or more widely applied accessibility standards in mainstream housing development. The MHCLG consultation on accessibility of new homes (MHCLG 2020a) will hopefully lead to the introduction of a national mandate for a higher minimum standard for all new homes across the industry.

At the local level

• Local authorities should give the necessary priority to housing for older people, through the creation of clear strategic and local plans and guidelines for developers.

• Collaboration between local authority planning, social care, health and housing teams could allow for better planning around retirement housing. For example, retirement housing may make savings possible within health and social care budgets. Greater collaboration between different departments might allow these savings to be considered when negotiating planning obligations from retirement housing developers.

• Access to suitable sites for retirement housing development, and overall supply, might be improved by taking measures to redress its viability constraints. For example, this might take the form of a ‘social care credit’ applied on planning charges for specialised housing developments.

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