Less than a quarter of homes built outside London by 2030 will be suitable for older and disabled people, housing experts have warned.
Analysis of local planning policies by Habinteg Housing Association has revealed an ‘accessible homes crisis’ in England.
It found that of all the new homes due to be built outside the capital by 2030, only 23% are planned to be accessible and only 1% will be suitable for wheelchair users.
The report - A Forecast for Accessible Homes - warns there is a postcode lottery in the supply of new accessible and adaptable homes. By 2030 there will only be one accessible new home built for every 270 people in the West Midlands, and one accessible new home for every 52 people in the East of England.
However, in London there will be one accessible new home for every 24 people.
Habinteg’s chief executive, Sheron Carter, said: ‘We would encourage national government to take a more strategic approach to accessible homes delivery. The optional approach is not only putting older and disabled people’s health and independence at risk but creating costly housing problems for the future.
‘While the Government has stated their ambition for getting more disabled people into work, our research shows that this will fail unless the housing crisis for disabled people is urgently tackled. We strongly urge the government to raise the mandatory baseline standard for accessible homes.’
Habinteg is calling on the Government to change national policy so that all new homes are built to be more accessible.
