It’s no secret that the UK’s housing sector is in crisis. Headlines scream about the shortage of new-build homes. TV pundits talk constantly about the need for more affordable homes.
The crisis fewer people mention is the accessible housing crisis – and the woeful condition of Britain’s housing stock.
Britain has the oldest housing stock in the EU. Millions of homes are cold, damp and in a poor state of repair. These poor-quality homes are disproportionately lived in by older people, with 1.3 million people aged 55 and over living in a home with at least one ‘category 1 hazard’ – defined as something that poses a serious threat to the health or safety of people living in or visiting your home.
As well as homes being in poor condition, many are inaccessible – only 7% have all four accessibility features that make them visitable to most people (level access to the entrance, a flush threshold, sufficiently wide door sets and circulation space, and a toilet at entrance level). Not meeting these criteria means people who have a disability or who have lost mobility with age are at a huge disadvantage when looking for a home or when visiting friends and family, and are increasingly disabled by their environment.
We cannot allow ourselves to accept this. With concerted action from developers and homebuilders, from planners and architects and from national and local government, we can build better homes that everyone can live in, regardless of their age or ability, and improve the homes we already have.