Recommendation 24

HM Government · verbatim extract Deferred

National Planning Policy already makes clear that local authorities must plan for a range of housing needs, including the needs of older and disabled people. In 2018, we revised our National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to make clear that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in their planning policies. In 2019 we published additional Planning Practice Guidance that sets out further detail on how local authorities can best achieve this, including guidance on what range of needs should be addressed and the sorts of evidence that can be taken into account. In December 2022 we published a consultation on our proposed approach to updating the National Planning Policy Framework, which closed on 2 March. We will publish a government response in due course. As part of this, we proposed strengthening the existing policy by adding a specific expectation that when ensuring that the needs of older 26 Government response people are met, particular regard is given to retirement housing, housing-with-care and care homes. We know these are important typologies of housing that can help support our ageing population. As more local authorities adopt plans based on the most recent iteration of the NPPF, we anticipate increasing numbers of local authorities will have clear policies for meeting local needs for older and disabled people. We believe that planning policy is the appropriate route for ensuring that these needs are met locally, as it provides authorities with the flexibility to take full account of local circumstances. We do not intend to introduce statutory requirements at this time. Conclusion 25 – use classes or sub-classes