Justification for accessible and adaptable housing provision

The SPPS requires that the LDP makes provision to meet the full range of housing needs. This includes provision for those who are elderly, disabled or with any mobility issues. One of the key objectives of the NI housing strategy relates to the need to "support older and disabled people to live independently if they wish to do so." The latest NI housing market research also states that as the population continues to age, support packages will play a vital role in helping older people, or people with a disability, to remain in their own homes for longer. It notes that the ageing population will "undoubtedly have a significant impact on the design of dwellings as well as the need for housing support to enable older people to live independently in their own homes." The local housing systems analysis of the Belfast metropolitan housing market area (NIHE, August 2011) suggests that developers should be encouraged to provide 'mainstream' housing that is appealing for older households, helping ensure that suitable housing is supplied that presents as few barriers to mobility as possible. Demographic realities, together with the inaccessible character of much of the existing housing stock present a clear case for all housing to meet an accessible standard. It is noted that the existing Building Regulations (2012) focus on ensuring that dwellings are accessible for visitors; however, the intention of this policy is that homes are accessible for those who live in them. 'Lifetime homes' standards are a nationally recognised set of criteria to make new dwellings adaptable enough to accommodate a household's changing lifetime needs and enable them to be lived in and visited by a wide range of people. Whilst some of the lifetime homes and 'wheelchair accessibility' standards are included in technical booklet part R of the Building Regulations (NI) 2012, many are not. This policy therefore seeks to address those elements of the standards that can be adequately addressed at planning stage.