Ministers should bring forward a National Development Management Policy (NDMP) for older people’s housing, the membership body for housing-with-care operators has said.
ARCO, which represents ‘Integrated Retirement Community’ (IRC) operators, has published a model NDMP for older people’s housing and is calling on the government to adopt it.
NDMPs are proposed national planning rules intended to create more consistency among councils and accelerate decisions by overriding local policies. The government is expected to launch a consultation on a first suite of NDMPs before the end of the year.
ARCO’s model NDMP says that the specific and unique characteristics of specialist housing for older people proposed should be considered, and a flexible approach to requirements may be appropriate, which takes account of the social and economic benefits that older people’s housing can deliver.
Michael Voges, Chief Executive of ARCO, said:
“We have a rapidly ageing population, but far too many local authorities cling to planning policies that make no reference to older people. As the government prepares for sweeping planning reforms, it’s vital Ministers do not miss the opportunity to help the country adapt to societal ageing and enable more older people to access the benefits of specialist housing.”
Lord Best, Co-Chair of the APPG for Housing and Care for Older People, said:
“We need better housing options for older people to meet the dual demands on housing and social care, and the government's new National Development Management Policies should take this into account. An NDMP on older people’s housing is an essential key to unlock the development of high-quality, accessible homes for older people.”
Matt Turmaine MP for Watford and Chair of the IRC Parliamentary Champions Group, said:
“Britain has an ageing population and a housing crisis. The government has put housebuilding front and centre of its policy programme. It is essential that local authorities are mindful of their demographics when devising and implementing development. IRCs offer a great opportunity to help fix this situation and I welcome the opportunity for the government to review all options available.”
Hardev Thandy, Head of Growth & Construction at the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, said:
“Evidence published by the government confirms that housing-with-care improves older people’s wellbeing and reduces demands on the NHS. However, far too few local planning authorities have adequate policies in place for older people, making it much harder for operators to bring forward new schemes. Something radical needs to change and it is vital that the government adopts an NDMP for older people’s housing.”
Iain Warner, Senior Director, Tetlow King Planning said:
"Having worked within the older people's housing sector for many years, I have seen all too often the problems that are associated with local authorities having no development plan policy to deliver housing for an ageing population. This can ultimately trap people in their homes and reduce choices for everyone. If the government is going down the NDMP route, it's a no-brainer that one of the first NDMPs should be for older people's housing so we can finally get this vital sector moving and meet a critical need."
Professor Les Mayhew, City University, author of The Mayhew Review: Future Proofing Retirement Living, said:
“My 2022 deep-dive review emphasised that we urgently need to build many more homes for older people, and that planning policy has a critical role in facilitating this to create age friendlier walkable neighbourhoods and communities. This proposed model NDMP meets this challenge head-on: by promoting specialist housing for older people where there is an identified need, accounting for the social and economic benefits that this can deliver, which were outlined extensively in the Review”.
Professor Julienne Meyer CBE, Chair of the Older People's Housing Taskforce
“The Older People’s Housing Taskforce report recommended developing a new NDMP for older people’s housing, so I greatly welcome this model NDMP developed by ARCO. With planning reform coming alongside a large-scale housebuilding commitment, we now have a real opportunity to accelerate the Taskforce’s recommendations to build homes that support ageing well.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
- ARCO represents charity, not-for-profit and private operators of modern housing-with-care schemes – known as Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs). All tenure types are available in the IRC sector (social rent, shared ownership, private rent and leasehold). The average age people move into an IRC is around 80 and the average duration of residence is eight years.
- ARCO’s model NDMP for older people’s housing states:
Policy Wording: Specialist Housing for Older People
- Proposals for the different types of specialist housing for older people defined in the Glossary will be encouraged and supported, provided all the following criteria are met:
- It meets an identified need for the type and scale of housing proposed; and
- The development is well connected with good accessibility to shops, services, and amenity facilities appropriate to meet the requirements of residents and staff – either on-site, provided as part of the development; or off-site, accessible on foot or by existing or proposed transport services. Proposals for rural or edge of settlement sites should show how accessibility and integration will be addressed; and
- The scale, form, design, access arrangements, and range of amenities, open space, and landscaping proposed as part of the development meet the requirements of the specific type of housing proposed and the needs of the people the housing is intended for, whilst being adaptable and responsive to changing needs over the lifetime of the development.
- The specific and unique characteristics of the type of specialist housing for older people proposed should be considered when assessing the proposal against relevant development plan policies. A flexible approach to some policy requirements (such as those relating to vehicle and cycle parking, housing mix, design standards and viability) may be appropriate, which takes account of the potential social, economic, and environmental benefits that the proposal can deliver.
- NDMPs (National Development Management Policies) are a new type of national planning policy created under the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA). The Act mandates that local planning decisions must follow both the local plan and these NDMPs, with NDMPs taking precedence in case of conflict. The aim is to streamline local plans by removing repetitive national policies, allowing them to focus on local matters and providing more consistency for developers.
- In March 2024, a survey by Knight Frank and Irwin Mitchell found just under a third (32%) of local authorities still do not have clear policies in place to support housing for seniors. The survey ranked local authorities between ‘A’ and ‘D according to the provisions in their local plans towards seniors housing. Those local authorities with an A rating had clear policies indicating details of the required number of dwellings and care home beds and how this will be achieved together with specific site allocations for such development, whereas those with a D rating had neither clear policies nor site allocation. This survey found that of 326 local authorities in England, 75 (23 %) were graded A, 100 (33.7%) were graded B, 47 (14.4%) were graded C and 104 (31.9%) were graded D.: Two Years of Progress Lost in Planning for Seniors Housing Accommodation
- The independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce submitted its final report to the government just before the 2024 General Election, including a recommendation that the government should drive progress by Revising the NPPG and developing a new National Development Management Policy (NDMP). See: Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population - GOV.UK
- The Mayhew Review of older people’s housing recommended planning departments put retirement housing on a level playing field with other building developments and an accelerated programme of retirement housing construction with up to 50,000 new units a year. See: ILC-FP-Retirement-RPT-Mayhew-Review.pdf
- In 2024, Homes England published a research report on older people’s housing. It found measurable positive impacts on wellbeing from specialist older people’s housing and noted NHS savings of £1,840 per person per year for each resident of extra care/housing-with-care (Integrated Retirement Communities). See: Measuring_the_Wellbeing_and_Fiscal_Impacts_of_Housing_for_Older_People.pdf
- For more information, please contact:
James Lloyd Sarina Kiayani
Director of Policy & Communications Policy and External Affairs Manager
07535 088498 / jameslloyd@arcouk.org 07415 683783 / sarinakiayani@arcouk.org
