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The UK population is ageing. A 2019 report from AgeUK using data from the ONS highlighted that there are nearly 12 million (11,989,322) people aged 65 and above in the UK of which: 5.4 million people are aged 75+, 1.6 million are aged 85+, over 500,000 people are 90+ (579,776) and 14,430 are centenarians. By 2030, one in five people in the UK (21.8%) will be aged 65 or over, 6.8% will be aged 75+ and 3.2% will be aged 85+.

Allowing people to live well in old age in their own homes is something which housebuilders and planners are giving increasing thought to, both from a wellbeing perspective for residents, and a financial perspective for services, including the NHS and social care. The creation of “lifetime neighbourhoods” – spaces where people can live well from birth to retirement – brings together a number of elements: providing easy access to services; creating physical spaces which are suitable for people with disabilities and mobility issues to navigate; and allowing people to maintain those social and community ties which are associated with wellbeing, which can sometimes be lost with forced moves to residential care or a prolonged stay in hospital.

Homes for life

Building homes that are suitable for an ageing population is an important first step in creating lifetime neighbourhoods. However, planners and developers are starting to realise that one size doesn’t necessarily fit all when it comes to housing for older people. As with the general population, older people are not a homogenous group, and while some may need the support provided by extra care or sheltered housing projects, or may need single-storey open plan living to accommodate mobility aids or telecare packages, others simply want to live in a space which enables them to live comfortably in a community which suits their needs in terms of location and availability of services.

Designing and building a range of different housing types, which includes single-storey homes, extra care and sheltered housing, as well as stock which is suitable for people looking to downsize, is a key part of the development of effective lifetime neighbourhoods. This can free up larger family homes for people with children to move into and ensure that people are not kept unnecessarily in hospital because housing cannot be adapted to meet changing needs. A 2014 Age UK report showed that the scarcity of suitable and affordable retirement housing is a barrier to downsizing, highlighting that retirement housing makes up just 5-6% of all older people’s housing. Now groups like the Housing Made for Everyone coalition (HoME) are calling on the government to make all new homes accessible and adaptable as standard to help meet growing need in the future.

Social infrastructure such as libraries, community centres, local shops and good transport links are also a key aspect to planning effective lifetime neighbourhoods, as is ensuring accessibility of services such as GP appointments. Effective infrastructure planning can help enable the whole community, not just older people to feel connected to their local area, both physically and socially which can really help to support the idea of lifetime neighbourhoods and enable people to live well regardless of age.

Preventing loneliness and isolation in older age

Preventing loneliness and isolation in old age by creating spaces which facilitate engagement and encourage people to have positive social interactions is important to ensure that everyone within the community feels respected, involved and appreciated. However, the challenges are different depending on the nature of the community in question. In rural areas, social isolation can be compounded by a lack of appropriate transport infrastructure or the removal of key services at a local level in favour of “hubs” which are often located in towns and cities; in urban areas, loneliness can be exacerbated by the chaotic, hostile or intimidating environment that living in a densely populated area can have, a flip side to the benefits of density.

Ambition for ageing is a programme which aims to discover what works in reducing social isolation by taking an asset based approach to creating age friendly communities. Asset based approaches seek to identify the strengths and the abilities of people and communities, rather than their deficits. The asset based approach to creating age friendly neighbourhoods also seeks to use the experiences and attributes that all members of the community have to help make the community better. To create effective age friendly neighbourhoods older people need to have opportunities to participate and feel that they are making a positive contribution.

A space for all ages

While much of the research and literature on lifetime neighbourhoods focuses on older people, it is also important to ensure that spaces meet the needs of all groups in the community, including children and young people and people with disabilities. Creating places which balance the needs of all groups within the community is an important consideration for planners.

The physical environment can be as important as the built environment and infrastructure development when it comes to developing lifetime neighbourhoods. Spaces which make use of natural and green infrastructure with lots of green and open public spaces have been shown to help improve mental health and wellbeing, as well as encouraging people of all ages to be more active. A number of design factors such as good paving, effective street lighting and easy access to seating and public toilets make neighbourhoods accessible to older people and people with impairments. Poor design can ‘disable’ people in their immediate environment and act as a barrier to participation in local activities.

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Final thoughts

For lifetime neighbourhoods to be successful, it is necessary that there is access to a range of appropriate housing options. In addition, the planning of public, open and green spaces, availability of transport links and local community infrastructure like libraries, police stations and local shops are all vitally important to ensure communities can thrive.

It is clear that while there is demand for more suitable housing for people in older age, the location and type of housing being built must also meet the needs and expectations of older residents, including good connections to local infrastructure, and safe accommodation. Projects which bring a range of ages together can be effective in strengthening community cohesion, can help challenge stereotypes and can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. Collectively these different elements feed into the creation of lifetime neighbourhoods which can support people to live well into retirement and beyond.

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by Greg Lloyd, School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster

In late June 2014 ‘Ambition, Opportunity, Place’, Scotland’s third National Planning Framework (‘NPF3’) was published by the Scottish Government – affirming a distinctive feature of Scotland’s approach to modern land-use planning.

The idea of a national planning framework (‘NPF’) to set the context for development planning and the spatial development of Scotland as a whole, which was devised in the processes of modernisation which resulted in the Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006, has been highly acclaimed. (1)

The NPF concept was given statutory authority and is seen as the means by which Scotland’s development priorities could be articulated together with a catalogue of supporting national developments. A second NPF followed – refining the strategy and setting out progress. (2) NPF3 was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 23 June 2014. This iteration affirms the Scottish Government’s support for 14 ‘national developments’ (including major regeneration schemes at Dundee Waterfront and Ravenscraig, carbon capture and storage schemes in Peterhead and Grangemouth and support for improvements at Scotland’s main airports) of strategic importance. (3)

The focus of NPF3 is organised around the higher level political ambitions of creating Scotland as a successful, sustainable place, a low carbon place, a natural, resilient place, and as a connected place. Each is considered in terms of a vision with detailed spatial priorities for change. Its target is on supporting sustainable economic growth and the transition to a low carbon economy. It is well illustrated with sharp, clear articulations of spatial priorities across Scotland. An Action Programme sets out the conditions for implementation. The NPF3 points to where there are perceived opportunities for growth and regeneration, investment in the low carbon economy, environmental enhancement and improved connections across the country. It paints a canvas for the city regions, rural areas and coastal towns and a separate initiative asserts the wild land strategy.

Reflecting contemporary thinking in economic and infrastructure debates, the NPF3 states that Scotland’s seven city regions will continue to be a focus for investment. Attention is paid to the importance of the quality of city centres particularly with respect to sustainability, resilience of the built environment and the wider public realm. Alongside the city regions there are Enterprise Areas and national development priorities at Ravenscraig and the Dundee Waterfront. Key actions are asserted together with a timeline for implementation and monitoring – this captures the diverse nature of contemporary planning.

What is important about the NPF3?

First, it represents a maturing of a strategic approach to planning in Scotland, provides a material context for the associated cascade of development plans, informing the Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy and providing a visible assertion of the importance of positive planning. This stands in marked contrast to evolving approaches elsewhere – especially England and Northern Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, for example, its vaunted National Spatial Strategy is being recast along the lines of a National Planning Framework.

Second, the NPF is now situated in a very deliberate hierarchy of planning layers – being the deliberate spatial articulation of the Economic Strategy, being aligned with the 2014 Single Planning Policy Statement (‘Scottish Planning Policy’), and providing the context for community planning, strategic development plans, and local development plans. The economic strategy is a sound starting point – seeking to share the benefits of growth by encouraging economic activity and investment across all of Scotland’s communities, while protecting natural and cultural assets. Such an explicit link between economic thinking and land-use planning stands in marked contrast to the positions in the other devolved states. NPF3 is part of a clear map of national institutional and organisational responsibilities– itself an assertion of acknowledging the need for consistency and continuity at a time of ongoing economic uncertainty.

Finally it is clear that new thinking is required for the future – in order to address the nature of the current economic malaise, the distorted economic geography created, the insidious impact of austerity on communities and individuals, and the tendency to equate nostalgia with resolve. (4) It is also time to assert the role of government in taking the lead in managing and orchestrating large-scale change and thinking which for too long has been overlooked, misunderstood and denied. (5) The NPF3 would suggest a new confidence in planning practice and for this reason alone is to be warmly welcomed. The next challenge is backing it with the appropriate resource – now it is up to political leadership and bravery.

This article originally appeared in our journal Scottish Planning and Environmental Law, No 164 (August 2014).

Professor Greg Lloyd will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Scottish Planning and Environmental Law Conference on 26 September 2014. The full programme and booking information are now available.

References

(1) Lloyd G & Peel D, National Planning Lessons for the Future? (2007) Scottish Planning & Environmental Law, No 120, pp 32-33.

(2) Lloyd G & Peel D, The National Planning Framework 2: consultation and action (2008) Scottish Planning & Environmental Law, No 125, p5.

(3) See also (2013) Scottish Planning & Environmental Law, No 157, p 51

(4) Richard Florida (2011) The Great Reset. London, Harper.

(5) Mariana Mazzucato (2013) The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths. London, Anthem Press.

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Planning as vision: reflecting on NPF3