The housing shortage and the inability of young people to get onto the property ladder, particularly in the south-east of England, is a near-constant media headline. But what about the needs of older people and the mounting undersupply? Where is the buildto-rent style government support that seeks to incentivise older people's housing and give the older generation the range and quality of accommodation that they need in retirement?

According to research by Savills, there are currently 726,000 specialist homes for older people across the UK (56,418 units in London in 2017 – GLA Older Persons Housing Needs Assessment Report 2017 para 1.2) and more than half of this stock (52%) is sheltered (social) housing built or refurbished more than 30 years ago (Retirement Living UK Residential – 2018 Spotlight, Savills). Based on international standards the UK should have 1.2 million specialist homes, which shows a shortfall of almost 500,000 homes before the challenges of an ageing population are even considered. With an additional 7.9 million people over 65 expected by 2036 (taking the total number of people over 65 to 17 million, ie 30% of the population), the government must, as it promised in 2017, 'explore ways to stimulate the market to deliver new homes for older people' (para 4.42 in the housing white paper – Fixing our broken housing market (February 2017)).

What is extra care housing?

Extra care housing means different things to different developers and local planning authorities (LPAs).

Some see it as market housing for older people, others see it as older people's housing with care. Extra care housing is defined in the Department of Health's Extra Care Housing Toolkit dated October 2006 as 'purpose-built accommodation in which varying amounts of care and support can be offered and where some services are shared'. Although an old definition, the intent, clearly, is that the provision of care is an integral part of the residential development, in contrast to market housing, where the sole purpose is to provide housing. However, as will be discussed later in this article, uncertainty or distrust about the level of care to be provided has, in recent times, created mischief for this form of housing and stunted its growth.

The benefits of extra care housing are significant and can properly be categorised into those for the occupier and those for the wider community:

Benefits for the occupier

  • The communal facilities usually exceed those found in conventional housing schemes and are focused on maintaining the health and independence of its resident, not purely for their recreational needs. In addition to swimming pools and gyms, these schemes may include medical suites, restaurants/cafés, a bar, communal space such as lounges and halls, greenhouses and IT and educational resources.
  • The provision of regulated care services (typically 24 hours per day, seven days a week) enables residents to 'age in place' for longer and often at a lower health cost due to the economies of scale with on-site support.
  • The design of the units is aesthetically pleasing while being designed with physical health and safety in mind. The layouts are designed to cater for mobility devices and often the units are fitted with assistive technology to help manage wellbeing and reduce the risk of falls, etc.
  • The shared spaces are designed to enable informal connections, reducing loneliness and isolation. It is also common for there to be organised communal activities to promote mental and physical wellbeing.
  • The units often have access to, and views of, outside green space as well as sustainable/low energy and lower utility bills.
  • The development does not feel 'institutional'; it allows older people to be part of a community while maintaining privacy in an independent self-contained property.

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