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Talk to us 0300 365 3100
The need for accessible housing has never been greater. For many disabled people the experience of the Covid-19 lockdown was made even more difficult due to the inaccessibility of their homes.
Data from the English Housing Survey shows that 91% of homes don’t provide the four main features to be considered even ‘visitable’ and Habinteg estimates that over 400,000 wheelchair users are living in homes which are neither adapted nor accessible.
There is a growing consensus that raising accessibility standards for all new homes is a vital step in ensuring that disabled and older people have a greater chance of having a home that meets their needs.
This briefing shows the results of our analysis of local plans in England conducted between July and October 2020. The findings provide an update on Habinteg’s 2019 Insight report: Forecast for accessible homes. By analysing policies set out in local plans our team have constructed a forecast for the number of new homes that are planned to meet accessible housing standards.
The findings show that 70% of new homes due to be built over the next ten years won’t be required to meet any of the optional access standards to make them accessible and adaptable for the needs of older and disabled people. There is also a wide variation between regions that creates an unfair postcode lottery for people seeking an accessible place to live.
In September 2020, the government launched a consultation on raising accessibility standards for all new homes. As a champion of accessible homes and neighbourhoods for over 50 years Habinteg called for the accessible and adaptable standard to be fixed as the new national regulatory baseline, and for a proportion of all new homes to meet the wheelchair user dwelling standard.
We are calling on National Government to:
We are calling on Local Planning Authorities to:
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We offer a comprehensive and person-centred employment package to our staff. This includes:
Being open and honest about our performance is an essential part of our culture. This is why we place importance on independent assessment of our organisation as an employer. We are proud to hold a Gold Standard Investors in People accreditation.