Insurance News Archive

'Housing developers must cater for ageing population'

New homes in England will be built to suit the country's ageing population, the government has announced.

The National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society aims to ensure new homes will include 16 features to help the elderly - including downstairs bathrooms, room for wheelchairs to turn and stairs wide enough for stair-lifts to be fitted, the BBC reports.

Housing minister Caroline Flint would like to see homes built so they do not need expensive adaptations as the occupants' grow older, the news provider reports.

Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) executive Gideon Amos said: "To tackle the growth in households sustainably we must positively plan for housing that reflects the needs, aspirations and changing lifestyles of all of us."

According to the TCPA older people will account for 48 per cent of new households built by 2026.

But the National Federation of Housebuilders told the news provider that the plans, in addition to requirements to make new homes more sustainable and energy efficient, are "another costly priority".

The government has planned for three million new homes to be built by 2020, including up to ten eco-towns.

25 Feb 2008