The Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) has gathered good practice from across Europe and put together new and creative proposals to help put us at the forefront of housing for older people.

We were commissioned by Communities and Local Government (CLG) in partnership with Department of Health to set up the innovation panel, as part of CLG’s commitment outlined in ‘Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society’, published by CLG in 2008.

Chaired by Lord Best, the independent panel spoke to housing experts before embarking on an intense period of research visiting schemes and meeting residents over summer 2009. The panel has now reported to government some recommendations to help ensure that future housing will create sustainable and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods which our ageing population want and can afford to live in.

Recommendations

The HAPPI report sets out the panel’s findings in four chapters, the last of which offers detailed recommendations directed towards the government and key organisations. Four important issues are captured in the following headlines:

• the time has come for a national effort to build the homes that will meet our needs and aspirations as we all grow older.
• we should all plan ahead positively, creating demand for better choice through a greater range of housing opportunities.
• housing for older people should become an exemplar for mainstream housing, and meet higher design standards for space and quality.
• local Planning Authorities should play a key role to ensure delivery of desirable housing in great places, tuned to local need and demand.
   

Download the Executive summary - PDF (378KB)