England’s population is ageing and growing. A safe, accessible, well-maintained, and affordable home in a location that provides access to essential local services and opportunities for social connections is a vital component of a happy and healthy older age and directly related to good planning principles.
The RTPI, Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH), Centre for Ageing Better, the Older People’s Housing Champions Network and Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO) have joined together to publish this practice advice on this important topic.
The practice advice demonstrates how the planning system can enable the development of accessible, well-maintained, and affordable homes in locations that provide access to essential local services and opportunities for social connections.
It also outlines key principles for how professionals from all parts of the older people’s housing sector – town planning, housing, adult social care, registered housing providers and specialist housing developers, should work collaboratively to provide the best outcomes for older people.
Used to its full potential, good planning delivers the right development in the right places, helping to build community hubs where older people can easily and safely reach the everyday shops and services that they need.
The practice advice also shows how retrofitting existing homes and investing in alternate options to mainstream housing, like retirement communities, can help meet the country’s net zero ambitions, tackle the housing crisis, and address the health and wellbeing of our aging population.
Interested in this topic?
If you are interested in this topic you might also wish to register for our Later Living webinar. Chaired by RTPI West Midlands Chair Ashley Baldwin, this session will discuss the later living pressures that exist within the planning system, acknowledge the importance of planning for later living within strategic plan making and identify learning from decisions and appeal decisions.
