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Find out more about Localism visit localism-agenda.com
Winchester T: 01962 893 893 F: 01962 893 883
London T: 020 7812 6490 F: 020 7812 6677
info@remarkable-engagement.co.uk
Find out more about Localism visit localism-agenda.com
Even a cursory glance at the figures from the Office of National Statistics will show you that the UK's population is ageing, and rapidly. By 2035, 23 per cent of the population is projected to be aged 65 and over[1]. But as our population changes, and therefore the needs of our communities change, what are we doing to change the built environment in which we live?
An older population has different needs. A developer, whether building a single block of flats or regenerating an entire community, cannot afford to ignore the specific needs of an ageing population. Older people are more reliant on public transport and facilities like community cafes or community centres are important social hubs. Even the simplest of factors like poor-quality pavements or poor street lighting in an area can stop older people from feeling confident enough to leave their homes at all.
In Leeds, the Older Peoples Forum has recently launched a campaign to protect one of the simplest of public services, the public convenience. Their campaign takes a perhaps tongue-in-cheek approach to an issue that has surprising consequences. Publically accessible toilet provision is an important part of making an area accessible to older people, but how often has a developer stopped and considered how this might change over the next few years?
The "At Your Convenience" campaign is part of a wider, and admirable, campaign by Age UK called "Change One Thing". This looks at how local authorities, through their councillors, can be lobbied to make small and inexpensive changes to radically improve the accessibility of local area for older people. Age UK's full Pride of Place report can be found here[2].
But it's not just elected officials who need to consider older people in the built environment. If they are to really respond to the needs of ageing communities, and after all this makes business sense, maybe developers are going to have to reconsider how they build to provide better features for older people?
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