Solutions to an age old problem

This research represents an update to the first edition published in 2019, which explored how the planning system supports delivery of accommodation for older people through local plans. As our population continues to age, the importance of the planning system in ensuring that the housing needs of older people are addressed is only increasing.

The challenges presented by the ageing population are nothing new, with the Government publishing its ‘Future of an Ageing Population’ report back in 2018 and in 2018 the Communities and Local Government Committee calling for “a national strategy which brings together and improves the policy on housing for older people”. More recently, organisations such as the Centre for Ageing Better have suggested that the experience of being older in England, including related to housing, is becoming more challenging for many people. This experience has been further exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. In April 2023 the Government appointed an Older People’s Housing Taskforce, to consider the options for the provision of greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people.

The first edition of this insight found that many local plans referred in general terms to the needs of older people in their housing policies, but few included a specific requirement for older person’s housing, contained allocations for such housing, or monitored delivery.

Shortly after that insight was published, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) were updated to give increased emphasis on the need to plan for older people’s needs. This insight provides a fresh look at how local plans – both adopted and emerging – are addressing the housing needs of older people, including how plan-making in the future can even more effectively help address these important needs.