Unlocking homes, unlocking lives: how Later Living housing can help solve the UK’s housing crisis

In 2022, I made a bold career shift. After years immersed in progressive classical architecture within the super-prime residential sector, I stepped away from consultancy and joined Churchill Living, a leading UK developer of Later Living homes as Group Head of Technical.

It was a move that challenged me professionally and resonated deeply on a personal level. Now, closer to 60 than 50, I find myself more attuned to the realities of ageing. I think more empathetically about Later Living housing, not just as a Chartered Architectural Technologist, but as someone who sees their own future reflected in the spaces we create; spaces that can liberate and empower people to lead fulfilling lives in older age.

Later Living is not a niche; it is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of our housing ecosystem. While the UK grapples with a housing crisis and an aging population, the national conversation remains narrowly focused on first-time buyers and their affordability challenges. Meanwhile, the needs of older adults, particularly those looking to downsize on a fixed income and affordability, are frequently ignored.

In a society that prides itself on inclusivity, ageism is still all too common. Later Living is too often misunderstood, marginalised, and excluded from the mainstream housing narrative. It’s time for that to change.

But this key demographic of last-time movers holds the potential to unlock the entire property chain and transform lives.

Later Living is not just about accommodation. It is about dignity, independence, and wellbeing. It is about creating communities and a sense of place. It is an opportunity to reimagine ageing not as a period of decline, but as a new chapter full of possibility.

This sector offers a powerful, underutilised solution: one that can revitalise communities, ease pressure on the NHS, release under-occupied homes, and help us all live longer, healthier, more connected lives as we age.

The demographic shift: a design challenge of national significance

By 2044, the UK’s population aged 65 and over is projected to double, marking a profound demographic transformation. This shift carries significant implications for social care, healthcare, and housing, and presents a critical opportunity for innovation.

Currently, the housing market is disproportionately focused on younger buyers, leaving a growing gap in the availability of accessible, age-appropriate living environments. This shortage is not just a market inefficiency, it’s a national challenge that demands urgent attention.

Architectural Technologists are uniquely positioned to lead the way in designing inclusive, future-ready housing solutions. By anticipating demographic needs and embedding accessibility into the fabric of our built environment, we can shape a more resilient and equitable future.

• Forecast UK growth in its over 65 population between 2014 and 2044

Unlocking the potential of sustainable Later Living communities Developments like Clinton Lodge in Lymington showcase how thoughtful design can seamlessly blend environmental responsibility with vibrant community living. These pioneering schemes prove that later living housing can foster both ecological sustainability and meaningful social connections.

During recent visits, experts from the Future Homes Hub and the Housebuilder’s Federation praised Clinton Lodge for its innovative approach to green building practices and resident engagement, reinforcing its role as a model for future developments.

The formation of a Later Living Liaison Group, in partnership with organisations like the Future Homes Hub, signals a growing recognition of the sector’s importance in the sustainability conversation.

Purpose-built independent Later Living accommodation has a far-reaching impact: A single 45-unit development can catalyse up to sixty additional house moves, effectively freeing up family homes and supporting first-time buyer entry into the market. These developments also reduce strain on public health services by fostering autonomy, reducing isolation, and lowering the risk of emergency admissions.

From a technical perspective, our schemes demand precise integration of accessibility, energy efficiency, and communal functionality, each contributing to social resilience and environmental sustainability.

Barriers to uptake: unpacking planning and perception

Despite clear benefits, progress in this sector is plagued by multiple challenges, of which some of the major ones are as follows:

Planning ambivalence/ambiguity: There is a notable absence of proactive planning policy for Later Living housing at both national and local levels. This is compounded by a failure to recognise the social and economic benefits such housing brings to communities. Further confusion around use class designations (C2 vs C3) contributes to unnecessary delays and inconsistent decision-making.

Build economics: Higher build costs for accessibility features and communal spaces can deter investment under conventional development metrics.

Cultural resistance: A widespread reluctance to downsize, releasing under occupied properties onto the market, coupled with limited awareness of available housing options, curtails demand.

Regulatory constraints: Outdated guidelines often fail to accommodate the evolving needs of independent Later Living design.

• Future Homes Hub’s Visit to Clinton Lodge, from left to right Edward Lockhart-Mummery (Chief Executive, FHH), Alex Naraian PPCIAT FCIAT (Group Head of Technical, Churchill Living), Richard Lankshear (Director, FHH).

These barriers point to a pressing need for clearer policy, targeted incentives, and improved consumer education. These are areas where Architectural Technology professionals can influence outcomes through advocacy and informed design.

One of the greatest obstacles to effective development isn’t just red tape, however: it is fragmented thinking. Increasingly, Local Planning Authorities impose technical standards on energy, accessibility, and space that exceed national Building Regulations. Though well-meaning, this inconsistent approach breeds confusion, inflates costs, and disrupts the predictability developers depend on.

Planning should shape places, not override technical codes. When local policies substitute for regulation, they blur responsibilities and weaken accountability.

This issue reflects a broader cultural problem. The Hackitt Report, following the Grenfell tragedy, revealed how siloed practices across the built environment led to poor communication and safety risks. It called for a more integrated, transparent system with clearly defined roles.

To bridge this gap, planning must become a formal stakeholder in shaping Building Regulations. This would curb the trend of local policies overreaching and restore clarity.

For sectors like Later Living, where innovation and quality are vital, regulatory consistency isn’t optional, it is essential. It enables confident, scalable design and ensures homes meet real needs. Reform here could unlock national cohesion, empower innovation, and give professionals the certainty they need to deliver at scale.

A vision for the future

The Older People’s Housing Taskforce has set out a bold and necessary vision: to create age-friendly, inclusive, and sustainable communities that promote independence, wellbeing, and intergenerational connection.

To unlock the full potential of this sector while ensuring affordability for a predominantly fixed-income population, targeted policy reform is essential. This includes planning reform, stamp duty relief for downsizers, exemptions from Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) obligations, a planning presumption in favour of later living developments, and clear targets for local plan inclusion. Additionally, updated guidance in the Approved Documents should support Independent Later Living design standards and not confuse these with the more onerous (and expensive) requirements of care homes.

What is needed now is decisive government leadership. Legislative action must be prioritised to enable the sector to contribute meaningfully to the national target of 1.5 million new homes, while also helping to reduce long-term pressure on public services. Later Living communities are not simply dwellings. They are environments engineered to support quality of life. Residents frequently report enhanced wellbeing, reduced loneliness, and improved social engagement. These benefits are in large part thanks to due to thoughtful architectural provision. Well-designed schemes integrate spatial generosity, intuitive layouts, natural light, acoustics, biophilic elements, and communal connectivity with each technical choice reinforcing emotional, cognitive, and physical wellness. This design ethos challenges traditional perceptions of aging, positioning the later stages of life as vibrant, autonomous, and socially enriched.

The UK housing market’s historic fixation on property value and capital appreciation must give way to a broader understanding of lifestyle value, particularly in later life. Architectural Technologists are ideally placed to help drive this change, by designing spaces that facilitate dignity, ease, and personal fulfilment.

• From left to right — Alex Naraian (Group Head of Technical, Churchill Living), Rhodri Williams MCIOB (Technical & Sustainability Director, Home Builders Federation).

Wellbeing, connection, and utility must replace square footage and asset growth as primary metrics for success in later living design. Doing so allows the sector to redefine ‘home’ in a way that honours both individual aspirations and societal benefit.

To meaningfully address the UK’s housing crisis, we must broaden our perspective. Later Living housing holds immense latent power to ease pressure across the housing spectrum, reduce costs in health and social care, and improve lives at every stage.

As Architectural Technologists, we have both the skill sets and the responsibility to shape inclusive environments that serve not only today’s older population but our own futures as well. Unlocking homes unlocks lives. It is time to design for longevity and avert a crisis, with intelligence, empathy, and purpose.

This article appears in the AT Journal issue 156 Winter 2025 as "Unlocking homes, unlocking lives: how Later Living housing can help solve the UK’s housing crisis" Alex Naraian PPCIAT FCIAT, Group Head of Technical Churchill Living.

--CIAT