Planning
Planning for new, purpose-built facilities
With the current planning system frequently held responsible for the current under-supply of care homes, Ben Pope, associate director of planning and design consultancy Boyer, discusses the likely impact of the proposed new National Planning Policy Framework
According to Age UK, an estimated 2.6 million people in England aged over 50 are now living with some unmet need for care, while record NHS waiting lists are at least partly attributable to the fact that, at any one time, there are 13,000 people waiting in hospital – medically fit for discharge – simply because they are waiting for social care.
What is needed The desperate need for purpose-built facilities, in suitable locations, set in suitably landscaped, tranquil surrounding and with high quality facilities including accessible layouts and wet rooms, is not being met, and the conversions of other buildings which are being provided to fill the gap fail to meet the required quality standards. This is largely due to the inability of the planning system to supply the requisite number of both care homes and retirement living schemes.
National planning policy
There should be some hope: the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the policy document which forms the basis of our planning system, has been revised and, following a stakeholder consultation, the extent to which these revisions will take effect is expected to be announced soon. The proposed changes appear to
recognise that the planning system is partially responsible for the current under- supply of care homes. In Chapter 5:Delivering a sufficient supply of homes, it adds to
January 2024
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
existing guidance that ‘… the need, the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community should be assessed and reflected in planning policies … including for retirement housing, housing-with-care and care homes.’ This amendment seems well-intentioned
and may result in Local Plans (the documents which determine strategic planning at a local level) being better informed of the care needs of older people. However, the change in policy followed a rebellion by anti-development backbench Tory MPs who were opposed to top-down housing targets and development on greenfield land. As a consequence, if the proposed revisions to the NPPF are adopted, it could result in a significant reduction in
The desperate need for purpose-built facilities, in suitable locations, is not being met
the release of land for development and this will impact significantly on the future development of specialist older people’s housing and care homes.
A policy vacuum at a local level A central problem is that the majority of local authorities do not have a policy which recognises the need for care homes. Many local authorities address the issue in an annual monitoring report, but not in sufficient depth. So, more commonly, thorough need assessments are being carried out by the private sector in relation to specific developments rather than need having been identified and allocations made accordingly. Thus, most local authorities’ consideration of need fails to take demographics into account and consequently is out of date. We would like to see the NPPF amended to include a clear direction that, through local plan review, planning authorities are required to undertake an objective and robust identification and understanding of
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