Tony Pidgley, chair of Berkeley Homes, delivered a damning critique this week of the quality of retirement housing in the UK and lent his support to the idea of councils building the homes as part of section 106 agreements

Speaking ahead of this week鈥檚 launch of a report into housing for the elderly, commissioned by the Homes and Communities Agency and the communities and health departments, Pidgley said housebuilders had never satisfactorily addressed what older citizens needed from housing. He said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 right to include affordable housing for older people as part of section 106 agreements. Older people should be able to live near neighbourhood centres, where they have access to facilities and their grandchildren and friends can visit them.鈥�

The report was put together by an independent group called Housing Our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI). It recommends reworking the Lifetime Homes standards, making retirement housing a section 106 obligation and a new funding model that pulls together social care, housebuilding, healthcare and pensions.

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