Rowntree Foundation applauds new housing plans

'We have built about 400 homes to new accessible and adaptable standards. They suit every kind of household and are immensely popular. We call them Lifetime Homes because they can last the occupiers as long as they like. Each house will cope with all the eventualities of changing lives,' said Richard Best the Foundation's Director today.

'There are no front steps, a slightly wider front door and more space to get about inside, plus a downstairs loo. All these ingredients are not obvious at first sight. And they only add any significant cost to the very smallest little house. But they make a big difference. The extra features mean ease of access and freedom to move around in the home for young and old, for families with small children, visitors of all ages and for people with disabilities. No-one gets evicted by the house if they become disabled later; a frail grandparent can come to stay; the teenager with a broken leg need not stay in hospital; the twins in their buggy - and the parent with the shopping - can come in easily through the front door; there are no accidents on icy steps; elderly people do not have to move into residential care just because of the design of their home.

'We now have the technology to ensure there are no problems of rain coming under the door. (Just as we don't expect water to get in under the doors of our cars - even in the car wash!). And the way houses are built means a gentle slope to the front door is virtually always easy to achieve.

'We recognise that developers building for sale are not used to these standards - in contrast to those who have been building for all the housing associations who now specify level thresholds as standard. The industry has not always been good at training building workers in new techniques: but the Minister has allowed over a year's grace to enable the house builders to get up to speed. (Also, the very tiniest houses will have to meet higher standards, at extra cost: the time lag will mean that the price builders pay for land can reflect this cost difference.)

'The UK will now catch up with the good standards of accessibility in other European countries. When the new Regulations come into force, no one will be excluded from buying new homes or forced to move away later, simply because their house was designed with unnecessary barriers and hazards. Huge savings will be made on the costs of adaptations (and the cost of fees for residential care and the building of special housing). The NHS budget will also be served in 'unblocking beds' - an older person after, say, a hip replacement, can be discharged swiftly to a well designed home rather than blocking a costly bed in hospital. Every new home buyer will benefit and the standards of UK homes will rise.'