Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support she is providing to local authorities to encourage the development of specialist retirement housing.

The government is committed to helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including older people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for older and disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.

The Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-26 includes delivery of specialist housing for older people. Councils which are registered providers can also bid into the programme, alongside private registered providers.

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and are committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market. We will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy.