Object
Chichester Local Plan 2021 - 2039: Proposed Submission
Representation ID: 4980
Received: 17/03/2023
Respondent: The Planning Bureau on behalf of McCarthy Stone
Agent: Miss Natasha Styles
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
Ensuring that older residents have the ability to stay in their homes for longer through the provision of wheelchair housing, is not, in itself, an appropriate manner of meeting the housing needs of older people.
A supportive local planning policy framework will be crucial in increasing the delivery of specialist older persons’ housing. Although adaptable housing can assist it does not remove the need for specific older person’s housing.
Housing built to M4(3) standard may serve to institutionalise an older person’s scheme reducing independence.
M4 (2) is to be incorporated into the Building Regulations - there is no need for the plan to repeat this element.
M43b relates to wheelchair accessible housing which can only be required on affordable housing where the Council has nomination rights. This should be clarified.
Recommendation:
The policy should be amended to reflect the building regulations so it reads as follows:
Policy H10 Accessible and Adaptable Homes
On all residential development sites:
a. 5% of affordable housing must meet wheelchair accessibility standards M4(3)((2)(b)) where there is an identified need on the Housing Register and the Council will have nomination rights.
Policy H10 Accessible and Adaptable Homes
The Council should note that ensuring that older residents have the ability to stay in their homes for longer through the provision of wheelchair housing, is not, in itself, an appropriate manner of meeting the housing needs of older people. 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. The recently published Healthier and Happier Report by WPI Strategy (September 2019) calculated that the average person living in specialist housing for older people saves the NHS and social services £3,490 per year. 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 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.
The Council should note that M4 (2) is to be incorporated into the Building Regulations and therefore there is no need for the plan to repeat this element and this element should be removed form the plan so as not to repeat other government requirements. The Council should also note that M43b relates to wheelchair accessible housing which can only be required on affordable housing where the Council has nomination rights and this should be clarified so that this is clear to the reader.
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