Govt seeks "age-friendly" homes

Plans to enforce 16 standards making new homes more "age-friendly" have been unveiled by the government.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DLCG) says action needs to be taken to address England's ageing population.

It says 48 per cent of new households will be for older people by 2026 and argues, in the current highly-priced climate, new homes need to be better adapted to meet their needs.

As a result ministers want to see measures like improved bathroom design and wider doors and staircases to help older people remain independent for longer.

Housing minister Caroline Flint said the government would introduce a regulator by 2013 to enforce the standards if it found the construction industry was not going far enough on a voluntary basis.

"Meeting the needs of an ageing population is one of the major challenges we are facing as a society," she said.

"But while it's a big challenge, even a small change or adaptation to a home can transform an older person's life."

The strategy has been widely welcomed by planners and older people's groups alike. Gideon Amos, chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, described the strategy as a "priority".

"To tackle the growth in households sustainably we must positively plan for housing that reflects the needs, aspirations and changing lifestyles of all of us," he commented.

"This important national strategy highlights that housing in an ageing society is a priority for all of us."

But some have expressed concern the extra cost of introducing the standards may add additional pressure to affordability in Britain's already stretched housing market.

Home Builders Federation executive chairman Stewart Baseley told the Today programme: "A lot of the things that are being talked about here are trying to apply a one-size-fits-all solution in a way which will add cost to the home.

"It's unclear to me who is going to pay for this but I would be surprised if the first-time buyers, the younger people in society, could afford to pay for it."

The government's strategy disagrees with this assessment, however. It says "commonsense changes" mean the standards can be introduced "without significant additional extra costs" to the industry.