Half of councils not prepared for housing needs of the elderly

Half of all councils in England do not have suitable policies in place to meet the housing needs of an ageing population, according to new research.

The research by law firm Irwin Mitchell found that less than one in five (18.6%) of councils in England have a clear planning policy for housing for seniors.

The law firm carried out a similar survey in 2017, which ranked local authorities between ‘A’ and ‘D’.

In 2017, 62% received a ‘D’ ranking, meaning the local authority did not have any specific planning policies in place for senior housing. A repeat of the survey in 2020 found that 161 (50%) are still in the ‘D’ category.

While this represents a small improvement, the number of councils not planning for an ageing population remains significant, according to Irwin Mitchell.

Many major cities are a “D” rating- including Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Leicester, Oxford, Sheffield and Southampton.

Leeds is an exception, as it has an A rating for planning and performs well in the overall opportunity rankings also.

By contrast Cheshire West & Chester Council is a ‘best in class’ local authority, having an allocation for seniors’ housing, a supportive policy environment, a clear position on affordable housing and CIL requirements for C2 use.

‘We need all local authorities to take the same approach if we are to unlock the potential of senior housing in England,’ said planning partner, Nicola Gooch.

‘There has been a marked improvement in the number of local authorities planning for seniors housing in recent years, but there is still a long way to go before the necessary support is in place to deliver our population’s elderly housing needs in full.

‘Despite some improvement it is extremely disappointing to see that 50% of local authorities in England have neither a useful planning policy nor site allocations in their local plans to provide for such accommodation,’ she added.

‘Local authorities have moved forward in the past three years, but only by very little steps and certainly not fast enough to cover the demographic shifts.

‘The current patchwork approach to local plans is holding back the development of the sector and needs to end. A national and local policy framework that works to promote a uniform and supportive approach to senior housing is required.’