Are we making progress on accessible homes?
This week marks Accessible Homes Week, a celebration of what an accessible home can do for a person's wellbeing, independence and quality of life organised by our HoME Coalition partners Habinteg housing association.
This year’s awareness week comes at a critical time when new regulation could start to tackle the huge unmet need for accessible housing if delivered in the right way, writes our External Affairs Manager for Homes & Communities Christos Tuton.
For years, we have been making a simple argument: if we are going to build the homes the country needs, we should make sure they are homes that people can live in throughout their lives and that they are homes fit for the country’s growing ageing population which is set to increase by 3.3 million more people aged 65 and above over the next 20 years.
That matters because England’s housing stock is simply not suitable for an ageing population. Only a small minority (13%) of homes currently have all four basic accessibility features that make them visitable for most people.
Accessible and adaptable homes are not specialist homes. They are ordinary, mainstream homes designed so that they are easier for everyone to use and can be adapted as people’s circumstances change. That can mean step-free access, wider doorways and corridors, more accessible bathrooms and homes that can accommodate adaptations more easily.
For somebody whose mobility changes in later life, relatively simple features like these can make the difference between remaining independent at home, or struggling with everyday activities. In fact, everyone can benefit from accessible homes, including families using prams and anyone who has older people or friends with mobility issues visiting them.
That is why the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in August was significant.
For the first time, national planning policy now says that no less than 40% of new homes on major developments should meet the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard, subject to appropriate exemptions in development plans. An M4(2) accessible and adaptable home includes step-free access to the entrance of the property, wide and unobstructed corridors and a downstairs toilet that could be converted to a wet room without structural changes. The framework also says local requirements should meet or exceed identified need. This should help ensure that tens of thousands of new homes being built every year will work for older and disabled people now and in the future.
Crucially, the government has been explicit that 40% is a minimum floor, not a target. In some parts of the country, the proportion of new homes being built that are accessible is already much higher than 40%, demonstrating what is practicable and achievable and what all areas should be aspiring towards.
A long road to change
Reaching this point has not happened overnight.
The HoME Coalition was founded in 2019 and has been campaigning on this issue ever since. A previous government announced in 2022 its intention to make M4(2) the minimum standard for all new homes through changes to Building Regulations.
Our preference remains clear: M4(2) should ultimately become the default standard for all new homes. In our response to the latest NPPF consultation, we argued that all new homes should meet M4(2), alongside local assessment of the need for the higher M4(3) wheelchair-user standard.
The NPPF’s 40% requirement does not go as far as we wanted. But it is an important shift.
Why an ageing population changes the equation
Changes to accessible homes standards are about considerably more than building regulations, or as opponents might frame it, additional bureaucracy and red tape.
Too often, discussion about housing for an ageing population begins and ends with specialist housing such as retirement villages or care homes. Specialist housing is an important part of the answer, but the vast majority (more than 90%) of older people live in mainstream homes and communities.
That means mainstream housing must be designed and built to the needs and demands of a growing ageing population.
An accessible home can help somebody remain independent as their needs change. It can make adaptations easier and cheaper, reduce the risk of falls and accidents, and help people return home safely following a hospital stay. Accessible homes also offer greater choice to older and Disabled people, rather than people being forcing to move simply because their home no longer works for them.
With people spending more than a quarter of their life in poor health in later life, accessible and adaptable homes can play an important preventative role. At a time when the country is grappling with what the future of social care should look like, and how to fund it, accessible homes must be a key part of the solution. Good quality, accessible housing helps people stay safe and independent in their homes and reduces avoidable pressure on health and care services, saving billions of pounds in the process.
And because the homes we are building now will still be standing many decades in the future, building more accessible homes is fundamentally about futureproofing the country’s housing stock for growing demand.
The next challenge is turning policy into homes
A strong policy on paper is only worthwhile if it then delivers meaningful change.
For that to happen, the next phase of progress must be about implementation and accountability.
We need local and strategic planning authorities to treat 40% as the minimum it is, assess their populations’ actual and future needs and set higher requirements where the evidence supports them. We also need to recognise that M4(2) doesn't meet everyone's accessibility needs and more needs to be done to deliver homes that are wheelchair accessible as well.
Government can help by delivering on its commitment to provide updated guidance for local authorities on assessing the housing needs of different groups, including older and Disabled people.
This is also an opportunity to take forward the work of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce, which recommended improving how the country plans for the housing needs of an ageing population. The taskforce was established to examine how to increase supply and improve housing choices for later life, but many recommendations from its final report in 2024 are still to be implemented.
And we need to know whether the policy is actually working. Central government should collect and publish consistent data on how many homes are being delivered to higher accessibility standards. Without more detailed and up-to-date data, it will be much harder to understand where progress is being made and if new homes are truly meeting local need.
The government’s current housebuilding drive to build 1.5 million homes before the end of the parliament is a perfect opportunity to create homes that work for now and the future.
Getting this right now can help prevent ill-health, support people to live independently and ease pressure on health and care services in the future.