Nick Sanderson, CEO & Founder at Audley Group and co-chair of ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators), discusses delivering housing for retirees.

Since the election eight weeks ago, Labour’s promise to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years has been sparking conversations and raising questions on whether chancellor Rachel Reeve’s plans to reform an ‘antiquated planning system’ are heading in the right direction.

It is true the planning system is complex, and often a hurdle to getting the first bricks laid. It is in desperate need of reform. But I believe it’s important that instead of focussing on supply across the entire housing sector, policymakers consider the property market as a whole and prioritise parts of the market that are chronically underserved. That’s not just first-time buyer (FTB) homes, it’s also retirement living properties.

People are living longer. Today, life expectancy in the UK in 2024 is 82 years, which is 10 years longer than in 1974 and by 2043, a quarter of the population will be over 65 and a third over 85. Yet just 3% of new housing completions are built specifically with this population in mind. That’s not good enough.

Asking people to downsize out of a family home, which is full of cherished memories and emotions, is already a challenge. If we aren’t giving people desirable options, in the locations they want, with the community and amenities they need, it’s easy to see why so many decide to stay put. And this ripples through the housing ladder with fewer family homes available to those who are looking to upsize.

There aren’t enough retirement living properties in the UK and there is a significant benefit to increasing the provision. Yes, to open up the housing market to function as it was always intended but for many other reasons too.

Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) have come to the forefront of the conversation on the retirement living sector in recent years. And this is for a number of reasons. With wellness at the core, these communities actively encourage people to improve their wellbeing as they get older. Of course, physical fitness is a big part of this, but so is people’s social and environmental wellbeing. By supporting every aspect of people’s wellbeing, IRCs enable people to live long, independent and healthy lives for longer and alleviate the significant pressures on the NHS and other local services.

The NHS reported that patients aged over 60 accounted for 44.4% of all outpatient attendances in 2022-23 and as we know, wait-times have been at a record-high. It’s been proven that people living in IRCs visit the GP less, they are less likely to be admitted to hospital and if they are, they can return home much quicker as care is available within their own home.

The positive effect on local services will rapidly be seen – NHS waiting times reduce, individuals can see a GP or specialist sooner and the bed turnover rate in hospitals improves.

Commissioning developers to build retirement living properties also promotes the creation of inclusive spaces and thriving neighbourhoods, which are key for the future of housing and planning.

I don’t expect everyone to downsize into a retirement property once they hit a certain age, but I do believe that we should be giving more people more choice over the life they lead as they get older. Housing is a fundamental part of this.

We need local MPs to press the government to define its strategy and take into account the proposals submitted by the Housing with Care task force just prior to the election, which included a series of recommendations on how to improve the supply of retirement living in the UK. Recommendations that should be published imminently.