in five older people in the UK who want to move are unable to find and access suitable new homes, new research reveals.
These are the findings published in a new report Finding The Right Place To Grow Older by Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), in partnership with the Centre for Ageing Better and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
Researchers from MSA’s Design for Life group – an architecture-led research team aiming to transform the lives of older people by strengthening and connecting community action, strategic policy, and local planning – have found that more than 4 million people aged 55 and above are actively seeking to move properties but cannot find new homes with the right location, tenure, and affordability.
Working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders including local communities and GMCA, the Design for Life team – comprising sociologists, data scientists, housing policy experts and psychologists – spoke to local communities and analysed data.
The new study reveals five distinct identities for older homeowners and renters, and highlights the requirements and barriers they face in finding the right home.
The report challenges the assumption that incentives for downsizing or moving into specialist accommodation are the only housing solutions for older people, and instead calls for town planners and councillors to make housing plans and strategies more responsive to local and personal circumstances to improve housing choices.
Recommendations have been made for the ‘rightplace’ approach to allow older people to find housing which suits their needs and improve their quality of life.
Stefan White, Professor of Architecture at MSA, said: “This important research with the Centre for Ageing Better builds on over a decade of our co-produced and collaborative design research understanding and creating age inclusive homes, neighbourhoods, and cities.
“The Design for Life team believe this new evidence can make a significant contribution to better understanding the housing choices of different groups of older people, supporting local planning to more readily respond to the housing challenges faced by their older residents.
“We believe the innovative policy applications outlined in the report could assist both market-led and social housing providers in their efforts to meet the housing needs of local older people.”
