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Housing

Accessible Housing in Liverpool: A Call for Consultation and Change

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The city council of Liverpool is seeking input on its new Housing Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which aims to set a clear standard for the homes built in the city. The guide focuses on designing homes that promote the health and wellbeing of residents, and the council is inviting residents, developers, and community organizations to participate in the consultation. Meanwhile, campaigners for accessible housing are pushing for a national plan to ensure wheelchair-accessible homes, citing a shortage of such properties in the North West region.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Liverpool city council is consulting on its new Housing Design Guide SPD, which aims to set a clear standard for the homes built in the city.
  • The guide focuses on designing homes that promote the health and wellbeing of residents, with a emphasis on accessibility and sustainability.
  • Campaigners for accessible housing are calling for a national plan to ensure wheelchair-accessible homes, citing the current shortage of such properties in the North West region.
  • Habinteg Housing Association estimates that one new wheelchair user home is being planned for every 2,006 people in the North West over the next decade.
  • Four in 10 new homes are not expected to meet the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard or the M4(3) wheelchair user standard.
  • If the country builds all new homes currently planned, Habinteg calculates that 1.39 million more accessible and adaptable homes could be built by the end of the decade, a rise of 163% from 2020.
  • The consultation on the Liverpool SPD is open until Thursday, December 4, and feedback can be submitted directly to the Planning Policy Team or by post to the Cunard Building.
  • The Spinal Injuries Association is demanding a legal right to accessible housing for all, saying that without nationally mandated standards, accessibility depends on the postcode.

Statistics:

  • 1.5 million homes are planned to be built by the government by 2029, but wheelchair-accessible homes are not part of the plan.
  • 370,000 new homes are planned to be built per year, but the decision to make them accessible has been left to local authorities.
  • 30% of new homes are expected to meet the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard or the M4(3) wheelchair user standard.
  • 70% of new homes are not expected to meet the M4(2) or M4(3) standards.
  • 1.39 million more accessible and adaptable homes could be built by the end of the decade if all new homes are built.

Sources:

  • "Housing Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document" (Liverpool city council)
  • "Government's 1.5 million homes plan" (BBC News)
  • "Spinal Injuries Association demands accessible housing for all" (BBC News)
  • "Habinteg Housing Association reports on accessible housing in the North West" (Habinteg Housing Association)
  • "Town and Country Planning Association comments on accessible housing" (Town and Country Planning Association)

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