Adult Care and Housing Specialist Housing Addendum to the Market Position Statement June 2024

While Gateshead has a considerable stock of age restricted housing which has most recently been increased through new Extra Care Housing, this stock is predominantly of units for social rent and there remains an under supply of units for owner occupation, shared ownership and private / market rent, plus questions of how well the older social rent stock meets the needs and preferences of those now entering later life.

When considering proposals for new housing provision for older people, the Council supports further growth in the supply of Extra Care Housing, due to its high functionality, rather than development based on the low functionality Sheltered Housing and Retirement Housing models.

The Council's objectives for age restricted housing are therefore to:

• Advertise and promote the capabilities of Extra Care Housing to health and care professionals and the wider population, to ensure ECH provision is better understood and the existing capacity is fully utilised
• Actively monitor council funded placements in Extra Care Housing to avoid schemes becoming dominated by higher needs residents, some of whom may be more appropriately and cost effectively supported in a Residential Care setting, or used inappropriately for needs that are potentially disruptive to other residents (for example - substance abuse)
• Increase the proportion of higher functionality Extra Care Housing within the overall stock of age restricted housing 
• Widen access to Extra Care Housing through an increase in the number of units for owner occupation, shared ownership and private / market rent, either directly or through development partnerships, to more closely reflect the tenure mix of older households in the district 
• Identify and replace, or repurpose, existing age restricted stock that is no longer fit for purpose 
• Target development to even out the geographical distribution of provision across the district (refer to figure 5a) 
• Combine and co-locate new age restricted housing provision with relevant facilities and amenities for older people, such as the Sister Winifred Laver Promoting Independence Centre
• Incorporate provision for older people into regeneration initiatives to avoid the dispersal of existing multi-generational communities