Housing Made for Everyone
RIBA has become a founding member of a new coalition of high-profile campaigning organisations and housing associations calling for all new homes to be fit for the ageing population and people with disabilities.
The new coalition group - Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) - has published an open letter to the future Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, demanding greater action to ensure that new housing is suitable for everybody. Read the coalition's full charter.
The launch of the campaign follows a report published by the RIBA earlier this year which identifies a drastic lack of age-friendly housing across England. The report demonstrated that all regions will see substantial ageing of their populations over the coming decades, yet little has been done to ensure that the design of housing reflects this coming change.
Within five years people over the age of 60 will make up over 25% of the English population. Yet recent research has shown that less than half of local housebuilding plans in England included provision for accessible homes. In addition, only 1% of homes outside of London planned to be built by 2030 will be fully wheelchair accessible. Looking into the future, the current situation is set to become even more untenable as 76% of England’s projected 6.6 million population rise by 2041 will be among those age 65 and older.
HoME is also concerned about housing developed through office to residential conversions under permitted development rights, as it allows homes that do not meet local standards in relation to space and other areas. Any extension of permitted development could result in yet more homes failing to meet basic accessibility standards, when this urgently needs to be increased.
HoME is urging the next government to make the accessible, adaptable design standard set out in Building Regulations, Volume 1, M4 Category 2 the mandatory baseline for all new homes and, where need can be demonstrated for M4 Category 3 (wheelchair user dwellings), the next government should make it easier to introduce relevant planning policies.
Without action, councils will be forced to spend ever increasing sums adapting homes retrospectively, with the costs on our health and social care systems continuing to spiral due to older people living in inappropriate housing. The social costs to individuals is equally damaging and nobody should be forced to live in a home that is not suitable for their needs. Now is the time to ensure that everyone’s right to a safe and accessible home is met, today and in the years to come.
