Lifetime Homes: Briefing for applicants Introduction The concept of Lifetime Homes was developed in the early 1990s by a group of housing experts. Lifetime Homes are ordinary homes incorporating 16 Design Criteria that can be universally applied to new homes at minimal cost. Many planning policies already require the Lifetime Homes standard in new developments. All public sector funded housing in England will be built to the Lifetime Homes standard from 2011, with a target of 2013 for all private sector dwellings. Habinteg continues to promote the standard and provide assistance to other organisations seeking to implement the standard, either through property development or through the formulation of policy and practice. We provide the administration and technical support on Lifetime Homes, having taken on this responsibility from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. We encourage other organisations and individuals to work with us to promote Lifetime Homes by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our supporter network. Lifetime Homes are about adaptability. They are not ‘special’, but are thoughtfully designed to create and encourage better living environments for everyone. From raising small children to coping with illness or dealing with reduced mobility in later life, Lifetime Homes make the ups and downs of daily living easier to manage. Each of the 16 Lifetime Homes criteria adds to the comfort and convenience of the home and supports the changing needs of individuals and families at different stages of life. Policy context In England, the Greater London Authority led the way by adopting the Lifetime Homes standard in its Supplementary Planning Guidance to the London Plan (2004). This stated that all residential units in new housing developments should be Lifetime Homes, including houses and flats of varying sizes in both the public and private sectors. In 2008, the Government produced its report, ‘Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods – A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society’, which states that all new housing with public funding in England will be built to the Lifetime Homes standard by 2011. This means
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that all housing funded through the Homes and Communities Agency from that date will be Lifetime Homes. The Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive already require the Lifetime Homes standard in their funded developments. The Government intends to review progress on private sector development of Lifetime Homes in 2010 and to assess whether regulation will be required from 2013. Provision of Lifetime Homes is currently optional within the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). The policy intention is to encourage increasing take-up as developers seek to achieve higher standards for their housing developments under the CSH. If a new development meets the Lifetime Homes standard, this now counts for four credits within the ‘Health and Well-being’ section of the CSH. The Lifetime Homes criteria The Lifetime Homes criteria are described on the Lifetime Homes website, which also contains detailed guidance. See www.lifetimehomes.org.uk. The overall design standard is generally higher than that required by Part M of the Building Regulations, although some elements of Part M are equal to the Lifetime Homes requirements or need relatively minor changes to comply. Some of the Lifetime Homes features need to be in place from the start, while in other cases what is required is provision for future adaptations. For example, the shower provision means that there should be drainage for a future accessible shower, if and when one is required. It does not mean that a sloping floor, waterproof finish or shower equipment have to be initially provided. Access Statements are now an essential part of planning applications. To ensure local authority access needs for housing are met, Lifetime Home designs should be considered as early as possible in the planning process. Pre-application discussions with local authority access officers can be very helpful to designers and developers and should speed up the whole process. Space and Cost Lifetime Homes rarely need greater overall space standards than usual and should not affect the density of a development. In fact, because of their thoughtful design, they may feel more spacious, an important feature in higher density developments. Building Lifetime Homes adds minimally to scheme costs, as many of the features can be designed in from the beginning without extra expense. The additional building cost for a Lifetime Home is estimated at around £500-£600, most of this being related to the requirements for the entrance level WC. In the longer term, Lifetime Homes are likely to produce savings, as they can be adapted without major expense and they allow greater opportunity for people to live independently in their home. They are general needs homes with built-in flexibility and, as such, they can help to prevent crisis and ensure household stability. The fact that households with older and disabled members will be less likely to move, unless they choose to do so, may also result in increased social cohesion.
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Wheelchair access The design of Lifetime Homes makes it easy for wheelchair users to visit the property, but does not provide full wheelchair access throughout the home. Accessibility for wheelchair users within the household can be increased by utilising some of the cost-effective adaptability criteria built in from the outset, but space and access will not match wheelchair housing standards and a degree of compromise is required by a member of the household who uses a wheelchair. There is a need for many more wheelchair accessible homes, in both the private and public sectors. It is important that Lifetime Homes are not seen as the whole solution and that policies ensure that fully wheelchair accessible homes are developed as well. The Greater London Authority policy is that 10% of all new homes are built to wheelchair accessible standards. Habinteg wants to see similar policies adopted throughout the country. Evaluation Now that a greater number of Lifetime Homes are beginning to come on stream, there is increasing scope for research into Lifetime Homes design from the perspective of resident households. Evaluative studies should show the extent to which Lifetime Homes contribute to addressing housing, care and support needs in the community. A number of academics have provided insights on Lifetime Homes and put forward ideas for future research and development. Both Holland and Pierce (2002) and Imrie (2006) have suggested that work is needed on specific features that may benefit people with sensory and cognitive impairments. The academic literature highlights the need to engage with broader questions about contemporary housing design and to go beyond the existing ‘social and institutional relations of the building industry’ (Imrie, 2006). Habinteg’s role Habinteg’s involvement with Lifetime Homes has shifted focus in the past eighteen months. We are still actively involved in providing advice on Lifetime Homes design and campaigning for application of the Lifetime Homes standard in all new homes. We also have an increasing role in assisting with policy implementation. Our current work on Lifetime Homes (May 2009) includes the following: • Development, launch and maintenance of a new Lifetime Homes website containing information both for building and design professionals and for consumers and home buyers • Convening a national Advisory Group and a Technical Advice Group to advise on design and technical standards • Research and technical support to Communities and Local Government (CLG). This includes: data collection on existing and planned Lifetime Homes; case studies
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exploring the effects of Lifetime Homes design; and discussions with professionals and representative organisations Continuation of advice services for developers, architects and other professionals, including a full audit and reporting service on dwelling and scheme drawings and developments at or near completion. Over time, we hope to extend this service to individual purchasers Development and delivery of Lifetime Homes training events, in conjunction with our partner training agency. These may be openly advertised courses or in-house training sessions with particular companies and organisations. Production of an updated Lifetime Homes brochure and design guide publication. Convening a Technical Forum of public sector stakeholders to discuss and provide feedback on the Lifetime Homes Standard Sponsorship and external supervision of a PhD thesis (King’s College London) on inclusive design in housing, using the example of Lifetime Homes
References
Communities and Local Government (2008) Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A national strategy for housing in an ageing society, London CLG Holland, C. & Pearce, S. (2002) Inclusive housing, in: S. Peace & C. Holland (Eds) Inclusive housing in an ageing society (Bristol, Policy Press), 235–260. Imrie, R. (2006) Independent lives and the relevance of lifetime homes, Disability & Society, Vol. 21, No. 4, June 2006, 359–374.
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