Planning
more care beds to adjust for the ageing population. Projections from Savills make for even more pessimistic reading, with a further 144,000 beds required in the next 10 years. The increasingly ageing population is
creating substantial demand for specialist housing. Yet, current planning policies lack clarity in addressing how this demand will be met. There is a need for targeted planning guidance and a positive policy environment to unlock development opportunities in the care sector.
Regional disparities Yet the numbers on their own – stark as they are – fail to reflect the full practical reality of the situation. Since 2020, around 50 per cent of all new care homes that have been built are located in London, the South, and the East of England, compared to only 15 per cent of new care home beds in the North of England. Scotland and Wales have also seen limited investment. This is an alarming outlook, as naturally
the ageing population is not isolated to London and its surrounding area. Far too frequently, consumers for later living and care schemes face a marked lack of choice to accommodate their wellbeing and care needs, alongside their financial position. Some regions like Cheshire, York, and East Yorkshire show promise, but broader expansion is needed. Local planning systems often lack specific policies for later living, leading to inconsistent approvals and slow progress. There has also been hesitancy in recent
months concerning where funding is likely to come from, given the change in government. This has stalled Registered Providers from delivering more products in
The demographic shift demands a strategic response
the affordable sector. While the £39bn boost to affordable housing allocated in the recent Spending Review may go some distance in alleviating these concerns, it may be too early yet to assess how exactly this will benefit providers in practice, and certainly, the funding boost does not immediately resolve concerns regarding local planning authorities.
Potential policy improvements As part of efforts to get Britain building to stimulate growth, the government has frequently affirmed that barriers to development will be reduced, and to this end there have been several recent changes to planning policy at a national level. While the 2024 National Planning Policy
Framework (NPPF), implemented to reform planning, has now started to be embedded across industry practice and has resulted in greater opportunity for development, there are still several elements that have not been fully stress tested. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has
also demonstrated government intentions to break ground and get the industry building more swiftly. While there remains contentious ground to be clarified as to what extent environmental and regulatory barriers will be removed, the Bill will, at least in theory, contribute to an expedited planning process. Sustainable New Towns have
also been made a focal point of the government’s housing policy. The long- awaited announcement of the full New Towns strategy will likely add a greater
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com November 2025
understanding of how these ambitions will play out in practice. Amid all this planning reform, now appears to be an ideal moment for care and later living development. Partnering these schemes with residential projects can significantly help in achieving this aim. This route is afforded greater credence
by the updated NPPF, which requires Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to identify housing need for a range of different demographics within the community. Indeed, the guidance makes specific reference to those who require care home or retirement home occupancy, and encourages the delivery of mixed-tenure sites to include later living. As part of this identification, and given the ageing population, housing needs for later living schemes and care homes will continue to be a relevant factor in the LPA approval process. Carefully monitoring delivery against these identified needs will be necessary to give a fuller picture of efforts to meet shortfalls. There is still the question, however,
of whether the NPPF goes far enough to support the sector. For example, the reformed guidance does not introduce the presumption in favour of older persons accommodation, as recommended by the government-appointed Older People’s Housing Taskforce.
Competition for sites is the key To compound matters, competition for sites, especially those in prime locations, continues to curtail care development, with landowners often preferring to pursue larger,
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