4 - Specialist Housing for Older People

The JPC welcomes WDC's recognition of the Ageing Demographic but does not believe that proposals are adequate for the challenges we all face.

In light of the 2012 ONS results figures and percentages quoted in 4.53 and 4.55 may well understate the proportion of our population requiring or potentially benefiting from Age Related Housing.

We note that 4.51 recognises that in 2011 "22% of households in the district contained someone with a long-term health problem or disability" but goes on to require only 10% provision of "Lifetime Homes Standard" or other adaptable homes and then only in the Strategic Urban Extension sites. Clearly a gross under-provision.

Whilst the emphasis on Primary Health Care is understandable there is a lack of clarity (H5(b) and 4.57) of how criteria might be interpreted and provision for alternative solutions.

H5 in particular would seem to limit provision to the urban areas (including the strategic urban extension sites) and hence preclude most of the rural areas, including preclusion of the more sustainable rural villages (ie most Growth Villages and specifically Barford)

H5 (b) and H5(c) are currently too restrictive. The JPC suggests the addition of "in Growth Villages and other sustainable locations where rural local initiative has demonstrated local need (eg through Neighbourhood Development Plans and/or Housing Needs Surveys etc) and a community will to address that need along with needs of adjacent areas and such need may be met through a broader range of models than might be required in an urban setting.

The above proposal recognises that whilst rural living has changed considerably over recent times - not least by development driven mostly by developers and higher authorities rather than by indigenous rural dwellers - the single common strand is that most rural dwellers choose to live there and wish to remain there for as great a part of their life as possible. The current and Draft Local Plan models do not permit this and at times of increasing dependence distract the elderly (and otherwise infirm) from their communities through "distress relocation" based on clinical need alone. The JPC contends that communities should have a mechanism to rise to the challenge of allowing their elderly to remain within their rural community for the whole of their lifetime with all the many benefits to the elderly and their relatives and friends.