As reported in The Independent the British Government’s housing policy is undertaking a massive shift to provide specific protected accommodation for seniors while at the same time freeing up family style accommodation for younger people forming families. In Britain “sheltered housing” refers to independent self-contained units or single rooms in a complex with an alarm system and a concierge, with a communal social area.
In a surprising change from a housing policy that emphasized home ownership, the policy will provide incentives for purpose built senior accommodation as “part of a wider raft of measures designed to help renters and people trying to get onto the housing ladder, is designed to encourage councils, housing associations and smaller developers to build sheltered (senior) housing to break the dominance of a limited number of larger housebuilders.”
The Housing Minister Gavin Barwell stated “First of all, we’ve got a lot of demographic change in the country and an increasing elderly population, so it’s not just about how many houses you build, but are you building the right kind of houses.“If we can make it easier for elderly people to move into that kind of accommodation, it releases family homes that we’re desperate for.”
The current government promises to build one million new homes by 2020 to ensure “renters have the security they need to be able to plan for the future while we ensure this is a country that works for everyone.”
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