Less than a third of local authorities do not have clear policies in place to support housing for seniors, new research has revealed.
A survey by property consultancy Knight Frank and law firm Irwin Mitchell has found that out of 326 local authorities in England only 75 (23%) had clear policies indicating details of the required number of dwellings and care home beds and how this will be achieved alongside site allocations for such developments.
However, the research also revealed that 104 (31.9%) had neither clear policies nor site allocation addressing seniors housing.
Oliver Knight, partner and head of Residential Research at Knight Frank, said: ‘While previous research has shown significant progress, our latest analysis suggests that over the last two years, the pace of change has stalled.
‘A third of local authorities are still to adopt specific planning policies and site allocations addressing seniors housing. Some 34 have moved backwards over the last two years. The appetite from investors and developers to deliver more age-appropriate housing is clear and growing.
‘A more consistent and supportive policy environment will unlock more supply, more propositions, and more choice for seniors.’
