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Brokenshire promises to review accessibility rules after damning report
The housing secretary has promised to review the requirements to provide accessible homes after a new report revealed that just 1% of planned homes outside of London will be suitable for wheelchair users.
James Brokenshire spoke in the House of Commons on Monday in response to a question from Labour MP Mary Glindon that highlighted a report published by housing association Habinteg. The landlord analysed 322 local planning policies and found “an imminent crisis in the supply of all types of accessible homes”.
Mr Brokenshire said: “Everyone should be able to access a home which is right for their needs. It’s crucial that we do understand how the changes made to building regulations on access introduced in 2015 are working on the ground.”
He added that the Habinteg report would be “something we will look at carefully as part of a review of those requirements”.
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The Habinteg report found that outside London less than a quarter (23%) of new homes due to be built by 2030 are planned to be accessible, while just 1% of homes outside the capital are set to be suitable for wheelchair access.
It found a “postcode lottery” in the supply of new accessible and adaptable homes, revealing that by 2030 there will only be one accessible new home built for every 270 people in the West Midlands, one accessible new home for every 52 people in the East of England, and one accessible new home for every 24 people in London.
Habinteg has called on the government to make ‘accessible and adaptable’ the mandatory baseline for all new housing, and for planning authorities to ensure an adequate number of wheelchair accessible properties are built to meet needs in their area. This policy has been in place since 2004 in London and should be rolled-out nationally, the housing association said.
“In order to achieve good design which prioritises homes to meet the needs of individuals over a lifetime, we need this policy in place in order to set the context for good practice in the future,” it added.
