There is a shortage of housing in Great Britain for senior citizens and not enough new properties are being built to cover the future demand, says a provider of retirement homes. And it is up to the government to fix the situation.
McCarthy & Stone is calling on Parliament to pass the National Planning Policy Framework to address this crisis.
There are currently 10 million people over 65 in the United Kingdom; by 2035, it will be nearly 17 million. But to date, just 105,000 retirement homes for older Britons have been built.
The company said many older people are being forced to live in conditions unsuited to their needs, adding pressure to public health and care budgets. The shortage also makes it harder to release large under-occupied homes back onto local housing markets.
“By building more specialist homes for older people, whether in the private or public sector, we can ease the housing crisis and help more people to benefit from this form of housing. Without strong direction from the government, this simply isn’t going to happen," said Gary Day, land and planning director for McCarthy & Stone.
