Planning


Millennials as they embarked on family life outside London, but has extended beyond that, providing homes for those at all stages of life.


A typical BTR suburban community creates the ideal opportunity for multi- generational living, accommodating several generations of a family and thereby a diverse community, benefitting both the community itself and the scheme’s profitability. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon, as the history of any village will show. But the benefits of creating new communities with this in mind, literally providing for ‘cradle to grave’, are increasingly being recognised and favoured in planning policy.


BTR suburban communities have the potential to provide both retirement homes and care homes. Renting is all too often viewed as the default option for those unable to get a foot on the property ladder, but it is increasingly becoming popular with those stepping off the property ladder. House price inflation has been generous to the baby boomers and, acknowledging this, increasing numbers now choose to release equity to support children and grandchildren into home ownership. Divesting equity and moving into a rented property with a BTR suburban community not only enables parents and grandparents to pass on property profits and reduce inheritance tax, but to live in a suitable home with the flexibility to move to assisted living within the same scheme should their needs change.


There are numerous successful later living schemes in European and the US which combine both retirement housing and care. A mixed use development of rental properties in Aarhus, Denmark, has addressed the problem very successfully. The House of Generations is an innovative intergenerational living housing project that demonstrates that there is a solution to the crisis in social care while also boosting the supply of affordable housing and delivering high quality pre-school education. The scheme has 100 retirement homes, where residents have daily visits from a care worker; 100 nursing home places, which come with more intensive medical support; 40 family homes; 40 youth flats; and 24 apartments for disabled people. A ‘pepper-potting’ approach ensures a demographic mix, and the scheme has many shared facilities including gardens, a nursery, a craft room, a carpentry workshop, a music studio, and a gym. The


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scheme shows that intergenerational living has benefits all-round: to residents, managers, investors, and society at large.


Conclusion


The are a number of issues with the planning system which act as a brake on the delivery of both retirement housing and care homes. We welcome the revised focus within the NPPF of improving the diversity and supply of homes and facilities for older people. But as explained above, there are substantial issues which will first need to be addressed. The reality is that the collective changes being proposed are set to hinder the delivery of older people’s accommodation. There are many gaps which the updated guidance fails to address, such as a general lack of promotion of the delivery of specialist accommodation. It is anticipated that the number of the population aged over 65 will account for almost a quarter of the population by 2043. Significant changes will be needed to turnaround the drastic undersupply of purpose-built housing and care homes. The care home sector needs to speak out on these issues and encourage politicians to review existing planning legislation to the benefit of the sector.


The good news is that investors and


developers are ready and waiting. Knight Frank’s Seniors Housing Annual Review 2022/23 states that 67 per cent of residential investors plan to enter this market within the next five years, compared to 31 per cent currently. With the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act now law, and the NPPF


awaiting further revisions, now is the ideal time to influence planning policy and resolve this increasing and concerning social problem.


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Ben Pope


An associate director in Boyer’s London office, Ben is a chartered town planner with over six years’ experience in the private sector, having worked for both Boyer and another consultancy within London. He has also spent time in the public sector at the City and County of Swansea. Ben’s experience largely consists


of a development management role – appraising sites, coordinating project teams, preparing and submitting planning applications, and managing schemes through to determination. This work has covered a variety of development sectors, including residential, healthcare, commercial, retail, and renewable energy generation.


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com January 2024


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