KJPRNEWS.com

A report from think-tank the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) caused afurore by suggesting that elderly people are taking up valuable housingstock by hanging on to large homes needed by young families.

Perhaps it’s overstating it to suggest that the older generation hasnever had it so good. But when it comes to the sort of accommodationbest suited to their needs, there’s plenty of choice. And a touch ofcontroversy. 

A report from think-tank the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) caused afurore by suggesting that elderly people are taking up valuable housingstock by hanging on to large homes needed by young families.

It suggested that tax penalties should be used to persuade the older occupiers to leave.

But developers insist that there is no need for such an approach. Giventhe right developments in the right places, they say, older homeownersare more than happy to move from larger houses.

According to Beechcroft, which creates upmarket homes with unusuallylarge room sizes in beautifully landscaped settings in the South-East,older people can be reluctant to downsize to a small apartment — or aretirement development of the kind that has communal lounges andlaundries.

Beechcroft customers are typically moving from large properties set inextensive grounds and want a new easy-to-maintain home, built to a highstandard, space for their furniture and an excellent location.

The sites are usually in market towns or villages within walkingdistance of shops and services. The company is expanding, with newdevelopments in Petersfield, St Albans and Cheltenham.

Yvonne Hancox, 70, moved to Beechcroft’s Frenchlands Gate in EastHorsley, Surrey, from a three-bedroom bungalow with a large garden.‘One of my main reasons for moving was that the garden was too much forme,’ says Yvonne, ‘and my house needed so much money spending on it.

‘I don’t feel that I have downsized at all. I have two bedrooms insteadof three, but I now have two bathrooms, a much bigger kitchen and anicer dining room.’

Typical prices are £625,000 for a three-bedroom flat or two- bedroomhouse. Richmond Villages is a specialist with village communitiescatering to both independent older buyers and those in need of care.

‘A lot of our buyers are moving from the traditional family home,’says marketing manager David Reaves. ‘It is a big decision, but thetypical response we get is: “I wish we had done this five years ago.”’

Richmond Villages provides facilities, such as a spa, hair salon, gym,pool, library, activities room, shop and cafe, as well as care homes onthe same site — and a carer agency.

The latest project, at Letcombe Regis in Oxfordshire, has justreleased the final phase of 34 properties. They range in price from£310,000 to £620,000. It is set in 36 acres, with its own naturereserve.

Retirement Villages is celebrating 30 years of providing accommodationand care for the over-55s. It has 13 locations across the country.

Jon Gooding, chief executive of Retirement Villages, thinks the Intergenerational Foundation report was wrong-headed.

‘Older people should be free to choose how they live and the way tofree up the housing stock is by offering them something better,’ he says.

Eileen Osborne, 62, moved from a four-bedroom house in London toRetirement Village’s Roseland Parc on the Rosewall Peninsula inCornwall.

She says: ‘The house was old, big and took far too much looking after. I was poorly and lonely.’

In her first 18 months she gave up smoking, lost weight, joined areading group, made dozens of new friends, filled her calendar — andshe even sold the mobility scooter she once relied on.

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