Tag Archives: housing

Waking up to an ageing population

By Kasia Banas, Consultant

January saw Chelgate Local kick off 2019 with another successful breakfast briefing event.

The Chelgate team partnered up with Barton Willmore to host a timely discussion on the impact of an ageing population on housing provision. Delegates from across Kent gathered to hear from speakers from MHCLG, planners Barton Willmore and older people’s housing developers McCarthy & Stone.

Dan Fryd, Account Director at Chelgate, welcomed the packed room and started proceedings by setting out the main issues around housing supply for our ageing population. He pointed out that in the midst of the housing crisis the topic rarely gets the attention it deserves, but the proportion of over 85-year olds is set to double over the next 25 years – making it necessary for the government and the housing sector to start planning for this particular housing need now.

Lucy Seymour-Bowdery, senior planning officer at MHCLG and the lead on older people’s housing, then presented the recent regulatory changes relating to provisions for an ageing population. She noted the revised NPPF strengthened the policy approach to planning for the housing needs of different groups of people; revised the definition of older people; and introduced the expectation that planning policies for housing will make use of Optional Technical Standards for accessible and adaptable housing.

She also mentioned the statutory duty to produce guidance for local planning authorities on how local development documents should meet the housing needs of older and disabled people​, introduced by the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017. While she was not able to provide a date for the release of new policy guidance, she teased that it will focus on the importance to plan for older and disabled people’s housing needs, benefits of accessible and adaptable housing​, types of specialist housing for older people​ and inclusive design.

James Donagh, development economics director at Barton Willmore​, then took to the stage to present a high-level review of supply and demand for specialist housing for older people across mid-west Kent. He outlined the population changes expected between 2017 and 2041, most notably, the fast-growing demographic groups of over 65s and 75s. He projects that this increased demand for specialist elderly housing will generate a need for an extra 5,300 units (45%) by 2029 and 10,500 units (90%) units by 2041. James pointed out that there is a lack of diversity in tenure and type of available units with two-thirds being social rent and four-fifths being sheltered housing. He concluded suitable housing for older people could be a part of the solution to the housing crisis.

The event finished with a panel discussion with Cllr Clive English, chair of the Planning Committee at Maidstone Borough Council​; Guy Flintoft, planning director at Retirement Villages Group​; Gary Day, land and planning director at McCarthy & Stone,; and chaired by Barton Willmore’s director, Simon Flisher.

There was a consensus amongst our panellists that there is a growing need for housing provision for older people in the UK and Kent specifically. The example of Japan was mentioned a number of times as a warning for what’s to come if this demand is not addressed. Gary Day encouraged new entrants into this market space, and there was agreement that existing providers must grow to help deliver new retirement communities. Innovative multi-generational housing models were also identified as an opportunity area that could contribute to solving the issue at hand.

Developers and politicians are not the only ones looking for sustainable solutions that meet the needs and aspirations of our ageing communities. Programmes such as ‘Transform Ageing’ are paving the way to taking a community and design-led approach to improve people’s experience of ageing and we hope they can drive positive change, responding to the challenge of our ageing society.

Our next event will take place in March and will address ‘Infrastructure led growth’ – A look at how Crossrail 2, HS2 and major infrastructure could drive growth. Further details will be available on our website.

 

old people

The impact of an ageing population

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property

Using excerpts from ‘Later Living: Are we planning for our future?’ published by Barton Willmore, we take a look at the changing profile of the later living population and what challenges and opportunities this poses for the market.  Barton Willmore’s full report can be viewed here.

The Government has been pushing hard to increase housebuilding and resolve the housing crisis. It wants to address the historic housing deficit and pent-up demand that has led to massive house price increases in recent decades. It has also introduced initiatives to encourage and assist the younger generations to get them on the housing ladder but has paid little attention to older generations which are in effect ‘bed blocking’ at the other end of the property chain.

As their children leave home and they reach retirement, older people look to downsize and release equity from their properties. According to the ONS Wealth and Assets Survey by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr), the average older home-owning household has £200,000 of property wealth and the over 65s account for 39% of the total of all property wealth. This is likely to increase to 41% by 2036.

Looking at the 45-55 age group, who will enter the 65+ age bracket in the next two decades, the growth is at the lower end of the property wealth scale with assets expected to be at around £163,000 at retirement. Over the next 20 years, this group will increase tenfold, the equivalent to 4.5 million people aged between 45 and 65 entering the market with half the wealth of current retirees.

The housebuilding industry has a challenge on its hands: how does it facilitate mobility in this older group, enabling downsizing, or ‘right-sizing’, and freeing up much-needed family homes? The answer must be in providing more choice in the new homes to meet those needs.

Currently the later living property market is directed at the largest and most affluent group of people, the 2.9 million people over 65 who have property wealth of more than £300,000. This will need to change.

Huw Edwards, a Senior Partner at Barton Willmore, explained:

“The market needs to respond now to ensure that we are planning and building housing for older people that meets their changing needs and demands.

“This will not only provide the homes that are needed and wanted by our ageing population but also open up family housing to the market and directly address our housing crisis.

“To achieve this, there is a need for a more coordinated and thought-out approach to delivering homes that meets the diverse needs of older people.

“At the local level, this means evidence based strategic policies for older peoples housing, coordinated across planning authorities that fall within the same housing market areas.

“There is a real opportunity here to encourage diversification of the market, provide homes that older people want, and create a market that caters for the broad spectrum of needs and demands it encompasses.”

Chelgate and Barton Willmore are co-hosting a seminar this month looking at the impact of an aging population on housing provision. The keynote speaker will be Lucy Seymour-Bowdery from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, who will outline the new policy and guidance to be issued by the ministry which she has written. She will be joined by speakers from planners Barton Willmore, Maidstone Borough Council, McCarthy & Stone and Retirement Villages Group. Further information can be found here.

Homes growth slows

Letwin Review highlights need for more housing variation

Sir Oliver Letwin, who was charged with the task of explaining the “significant gap” between housing completions and the amount of land allocated in areas of high demand, has released his eagerly awaited interim report.

As in his letter in March, Letwin does stress that the “homogeneity of the types and tenures of the homes on offer and the limit on the rate at which the market will absorb them are the fundamental drivers of the slow rate of build out”.

He urges house builders to diversify the homes constructed within each site to cater to different markets simultaneously – thus accelerating build out rates.

Different strokes for different folks

Letwin suggests developers look at providing different types of tenure – open market sale, open market private rented, ‘affordable’ rented and ‘social’ rented – as well as different forms of accommodation, such as retirement housing and student living blocks, all as part of the same scheme.

The report finds that buyers for these different tenure types don’t compete, so developers could develop more of a site at once without driving property prices down and threatening their business model.

In addition, rather than building rows of identikit semi-detached homes with monotonous landscaping and bland interiors, house builders could also offer custom- and self-build options, or simply provide a variety of looks to appeal to different tastes.

Whether builders accept this or not is another matter – they stand to lose out if they are forced to diversify their housing offer across sites.

Letwin is also cagey on how this diversification will take place, saying the ‘policy levers’ to bring this about while not harming sites economically will form the second half of his review, reporting to Budget.

Banking on land?

Significantly, Letwin finds that none of the UK’s biggest housebuilders deliberately ‘land bank’, with no evidence that developers sit on land they own and then wait for it to rise in value to maximise their profits.

He states: “Their business models depend on generating profits out of sales of housing, rather than out of the increasing value of land holdings; and it is the profitability of the sale of housing that they are trying to protect by building only at the ‘market absorption rate’ for their products.”

We absolutely didn’t need a drawn-out Government Review to tell us this, of course, but having official evidence could aid future Government funding decisions on driving up housebuilding.

What’s more, by moving towards a more varied housing model and accelerating build out rates, developers might finally be able to disprove the myth of land banking once and for all.

You can read the full report here.

 

Housing

“Chelgate has been working with me for over 20 years, at several companies, and have always provided candid political insights.” Martin Leyland, Vanderbilt Strategic (formerly Rapleys, Barratt Strategic and Wilcon Homes)

Housing is a national and a local priority, but building homes anywhere is always a challenge. Chelgate Local supports projects across the housing spectrum from large scale private development to regenerating town centres. Working with national housebuilders, leading housing associations and planning consultants, we have promoted new home schemes across London and the Home Counties, the South East, East Anglia and the East Midlands.

Our programmes run from targeted political engagement, through to full programmes of awareness, consultation, engagement and stakeholder mobilisation.

A selection of our recent projects include:

Heybridge North Garden Suburb, Essex

Chelgate assisted Bellway Thames Gateway with navigating planning at Maldon District council for 262 new homes on three parcels within the Heybridge North Garden Community, masterplanned by Countryside. The committee originally deferred its decision but subsequently consented the application unanimously in December 2022.

Codicote, Hertfordshire

Taylor Wimpey was proposing 68 new homes on a former garden centre site in the village of Codicote. Chelgate Local assisted with political and community engagement as the project came forward to North Hertfordshire Council planning. It was approved in December 2022.

Wokingham, Berkshire

We are assisting Berkeley Homes with political and community engagement around a planning application for circa 375 homes in Wokingham. Proposals include a community building with flexible space for local classes and events and an on site SANG.

Neopost House, Romford, London Borough of Havering

Chelgate has provided Galliard Homes with political and community engagement for planning applications for a development of 123 homes and a health centre in Romford, Havering. Located around the historic Neopost House building, the proposed development will provide three blocks with affordable housing through social rent and shared ownership, as well as green recreation space for families.

Chelgate led on the extensive community and political engagement for the site, generating positive resident feedback and working with local councillors to agree wider improvements to the local area.

Walkern, East Hertfordshire

Chelgate is assisting Welbeck Land bring forward an application for an Inspired Village in this Hertfordshire village. The proposals are for 120 homes with communal and community facilities which could include a gym, shop, health centre and community space. Chelgate has helped with political and community engagement.

West Hemel, Hertfordshire

This development of 1,100 new homes to the west of Hemel was promoted jointly by BDW Homes and Taylor Wimpey. We assisted with the political engagement as the planning application came forward for consideration by the committee at Dacorum Council. It was approved in early 2020.

Scape Living, Guildford, Surrey

The proposed development was for around 400 student rooms and a block of 85 co-living rooms for non-students in the centre of Guildford. Chelgate assisted with local community and political engagement. Co-living is a new concept, providing flexible, communal housing for young people which they would not otherwise have access to. Locating it next to student accommodation, with people of a similar age, is a logical approach which has attracted significant interest. The project achieved consent in 2018.

High Halstow, Kent

A development of 68 on the edge of High Halstow, a village on the Hoo Peninsular in Kent for Redrow South East. Chelgate assisted with detailed political and community engagement including comprehensive canvassing around the site and engagement with health and education. The project gained consent from Medway Council in 2018. Chelgate has subsequently been retained by Redrow to promote the site opposite, this time for 780 homes.

Bracknell Forest, Berkshire

We assisted Warfield Park, the country’s second largest park home site, to secure planning consent for 82 new park homes on its 500+ site in Bracknell Forest. Park homes have different planning requirements as they are not development, they are a change of use of the land. Chelgate provided community and political engagement, as well as exhibition, drop-in sessions, door-to-door canvassing and newsletters. Work on the new homes starts later in 2023.

Victoria Road, Chelmsford, Essex

This project saw Chelgate Local support Bellway Eastern in its regeneration of the former Royal Mail sorting office into over 200 new apartments, commercial units, a pocket park and highway improvements in the heart of Chelmsford city.

Chelgate led on the successful political and community engagement for the scheme, liaising with councillors, residents and local businesses to refine and improve the proposals. The project was approved by the City Council in 2019.

Springfield Mill, Maidstone, Kent

The regeneration a former paper factory to create a residential oasis in the heart of the town. The Whatman paper factory, originally established some 300 years ago, once employed over 1,000 people: it is an integral part of the history of paper-making. Redrow South East proposed a development of around 200 homes very much in keeping with the history of the site and the existing Listed buildings. Chelgate assisted with political engagement and local community and stakeholder consultation for this historic site – we were a finalist in the Planning Project of the Year category of the PRCA public affairs awards in 2019.

“Sometimes it is difficult to see the value of political and community engagement being carried out by a specialist consultancy, however with Chelgate that value is clear, measurable and has proved vital to gaining consent.” David Banfield, Planning Director, Redrow Homes