While demand is growing, just 1,833 bungalows built in the UK during 2020. According to research published by McCarthy Stone, the developer and manager of retirement communities, this is a figure that is less than 1% of the new homes built in 2019/20.
According to McCarthy Stone, in 2000, 9,347 bungalows were built, 80% more than current levels. The drop has been more noticeable in more recent years with 2,418 bungalows being built in 2018, falling to just 2,384 in 2019.
McCarthy Stone says that demand for one-level living is on the rise and that 70% of over-65s would consider moving to a bungalow, equal to 8.4m people across the UK, suggesting that in recent years, bungalow building rates have actually moved in the opposite direction to demand. The research suggests that the impact of lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic may have contributed towards older people considering moving to a more suitable property, including bungalows.
Planning rules to date have limited the viability of bungalows, favouring high-density developments instead. McCarthy Stone says it would like to see current planning legislation reconsidered to help cater for the increasing market demand for housing designed specifically for older people, including bungalows and suggests that this could be in the form of proactive policies, including the allocation of age-restricted bungalow-only sites in Local Plans and the obligation to provide age-restricted bungalows as part of the housing mix in larger scale developments.
McCarthy Stone CEO,,John Tonkiss, said: “Bungalows are increasingly popular among older generations – they are easier to maintain, are built with older people in mind and help maintain independence for longer given their step free access and easy adaptability – yet bungalow building has collapsed in recent years. The impact of lockdown and Covid-19 is likely leading older people to want to consider living in a more suitable property, and bungalows fit into this category.
“The importance of building more suitable housing for older people has been brought to the fore by the coronavirus pandemic and the UK has the opportunity to redefine how best to support our ageing population, including through the provision of better housing.
“We urge government to consider new planning rules to improve the viability of developing bungalow development, for example, through the allocation of age-restricted bungalows-only sites, allowing more low rise buildings generally, and addressing the viability issues in planning regulations which prevent new bungalow schemes from coming forward.”