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ID sylw: 106470

Derbyniwyd: 28/02/2025

Ymatebydd: McCarthy Stone and Churchill Living

Asiant : The Planning Bureau Ltd

It is common for Local Authorities to conflate the needs of ‘wheelchair users’ with the needs of older people in the community. A supportive local planning policy framework will be crucial in increasing the delivery of specialist older persons’ housing and it should be acknowledged that although adaptable and accessible housing can assist it does not remove the need for specific older person’s housing. Housing particularly built to M4(3) standard
may serve to institutionalise an older person’s scheme reducing independence contrary to the ethos of older persons and particularly extra care housing. Older people’s housing and particularly extra care housing should therefore be incorporated into the emerging Local
Plan separately to adaptable and accessible housing and not confused with it.
Adaptable houses do not provide the on-site support, care and companionship of specialist older persons’ housing developments nor do they provide the wider community benefits such as releasing under occupied family housing as well as savings to the public purse by reducing the stress of health and social care budgets.
We would also like to remind the council of the increased emphasis on Local Plan viability testing in Paragraph 58 of the NPPF and that the PPG states that “The role for viability assessment is primarily at the plan making stage. Viability assessment should not compromise sustainable development but should be used to ensure that policies are realistic, and that the total cumulative cost of all relevant policies will not undermine deliverability of the
plan” (Paragraph: 002 Reference ID: 10-002-20190509). M4 2 and 3 Housing has a cost implication and may serve to reduce the number of dwellings and further reduce viability. This should be a consideration within the plan.