More than 20 local authorities say the government’s proposed minimum target for accessible housing is not ambitious enough and a higher proportion of accessible housing is achievable.
Councils who responded to an Ageing Better survey overwhelmingly agreed that the proposed 40% minimum target put forward as part of reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) could be raised.
Separate Freedom of Information request responses also show that some local authorities are already achieving far higher proportions of accessible housing than the proposed minimum target, or are setting themselves much more ambitious targets than the proposed government minimum.
Of the more than 1,000 homes built in Bassetlaw district Council between 2022 and 2025, 90% meet the M4(2) accessibility standard which includes step-free access, wider doors and corridors as well as layouts that allow for easy and cost-effective adaptations over time.
The recently adopted development plan for Nuneaton and Bedworth for example, includes a specific policy that new major residential developments should include 95% of all new dwellings to meet M4(2) standards unless robust justification can be provided to show accessible dwellings would be unviable or physically impossible.
The FoI research also highlighted that many councils do no register the number of accessible homes planned and/or completed within their boundaries.
The Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) Coalition of organisations, which is co-chaired by the Centre for Ageing Better and Habinteg Housing Association, is calling on the government to raise the minimum target for accessible homes as part of its reforms of the NPPF.
The wide-ranging consultation closed in March and the government is expected to respond in the coming months.
Robust policies to ensure delivery of more accessible homes are urgently needed.
Analysis carried out by the Centre for Ageing Better last year revealed the enormous shortfall across the country in accessible housing which means that 12 million people do not have their accessibility needs met by the property they live in.
The vast majority of homes across England (87%) do not have all four basic accessibility criteria that make a home visitable for most people, as set out in the country’s minimum housing standards.
And housing accessibility varies significantly by region with the proportion of homes in London (17%) with the four basic accessibility criteria more than double the proportion of accessible homes in the North West and West Midlands (both 8%). The previous Conservative government announced plans almost four years ago requiring all new homes to have entrance level step-free access and other accessibility features as a minimum requirement. A second round of consultation that was planned to finalise the transition to the new regulations never materialised.
Previous polling carried out on behalf of the Centre for Ageing Better revealed that more than three in four people (77%) think all new homes should be built to a standard that allows people to live independently as they age or if they become disabled.
Millie Brown, Head of Homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “Having a minimum target of new housing that has to meet higher accessibility standards is a positive step forward and is an important recognition from the government of the importance of building more homes that meet the needs of our country’s growing ageing and Disabled populations.
“But we are not alone as an organisation in believing that the government should go further if it really wants to tackle the scale of the issue here. Local authorities, who know only too well what can be practically achieved, have also echoed this call.
“The real risk is that by setting the minimum target too low, local authorities will not be closing the accessibility need gap quickly enough, leaving many of their residents to continue living in homes which make their day-to-day living difficult for years to come, putting them at risk of injury and even death.
“Having insufficient minimum targets also sets up the risk of deepening the postcode lottery of accessible housing with some local authorities happy to just hit the minimum target while others treat the issue with a higher priority and achieving 80-95% accessible housing and therefore making it much easier for their residents to find a home in their local area which meets their accessibility needs.
“Everyone deserves a good quality home that keeps them safe, healthy, and secure. Accessible homes enable people with mobility issues or disabilities to live independently and safely, helping avoid injuries and falls. Everyone can benefit from accessible homes, including families using prams and anyone who has older people or friends with mobility issues visiting them. The government should be aiming to make this a reality for more people, more quickly.”
