{"id":361,"date":"2015-03-20T15:06:10","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T15:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/major-set-back-for-accessible-property\/"},"modified":"2018-02-21T12:46:04","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T12:46:04","slug":"major-set-back-for-accessible-property","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/major-set-back-for-accessible-property\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Set-Back For Accessible Property"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<div>Last Thursday <span id=\"urn:enhancement-2250e8c1-bb96-a3bd-9302-2fb9c2e2fa6f\" class=\"textannotation\">15<sup>th<\/sup><\/span> January, the Public Bill Committee met in Parliament to discuss the government\u2019s new Infrastructure Bill. Among the points to discuss was a proposed amendment by MP Roberta Blackman Woods, which would ensure that local development plans must include policies to secure inclusive design and accessibility for the maximum possible number of people. The inclusion of this amendment would have been a milestone for disability activists who have fought long and hard to improve access to suitable <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/housing\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/housing;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.0q3zhcj;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Housing\" >housing<\/a> in the UK.<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span>Sadly the committee members shot down the proposed amendment after a brief discussion, voting against it 9 votes to 6. The amendment had gained huge support from numerous charities, think-tanks, private companies and <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Housing association\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/housing-association\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/housing_association;http:\/\/yago-knowledge.org\/resource\/Housing_association;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01lljw;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Housing_association\" >housing associations<\/a>, and its defeat will come as a major blow to all involved. Dr Hugh Ellis, Head of Policy at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcpa.org.uk\/\">Town and Country Planning Association<\/a>, commented \u201cNaturally we are disappointed that the government have failed to use this chance to ensure that accessibility is at the heart of place-making\u2026 There is a wide consensus and clear evidence to show that we are failing to ready ourselves for the health, housing and social care needs of our population\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span>Both a blessing and a curse, the fact that we are all living longer than ever before has meant that demand for accessible housing has risen and this demand will continue to grow more rapidly over the next 2 decades. There is serious concern among those in the housing industry that we are far from prepared to adequately house the growing number of elderly and disabled people in the UK.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span>Most existing and new <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Home\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/home\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/home;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01l0mw;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Home\" >homes<\/a>, even in the wealthiest developed nations, lack basic accessibility features (unless the current resident has a disability) and to make matters worse, we are not making good <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Use (law)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/use-law\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/use_law;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.05r4j5;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Use_(law)\" >use<\/a> of the limited accessible <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"House\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/house\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/house;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.03jm5;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/House\" >housing<\/a> stock that we do have. Far too many accessible and adapted <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Property\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/property\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/property;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.05wrt;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Property\" >properties<\/a> are being sold and let to people without disabilities, and there is a clear need for more and better accessible housing platforms to help people find suitable housing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span>Part of the problem with improving the accessible housing situation is that the list of adaptations required varies greatly from one end of the spectrum to the other, and there is little by way of a national agreed set of minimum requirements. The closest we have to this currently, is the Lifetime Homes initiative which encourages developers to incorporate <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lifetimehomes.org.uk\/pages\/introducing-the-design-criteria.html\">16 design criteria<\/a> that can be universally applied to all new <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Housing estate\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/housing-estate\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/housing_estate;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01rtvp;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Housing_estate\" >homes<\/a> at minimal cost. These design criteria cover aspects such as: car parking and access, entrances, doorways and hallways, <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Bathroom\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/bathroom\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/bathroom;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01j2bj;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Bathroom\" >bathrooms<\/a>, <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"step\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/stairs\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/stairs;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01lynh;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Stairs\" >stairs<\/a> and other key features. Lifetime Homes\u2019 Standards have already been adopted in some parts of the country, for example the Mayor\u2019s \u2018London Plan\u2019 already requires all new build <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Real estate development\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/real-estate-development\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/real_estate_development;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.028sdw;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Real_estate_development\" >developments<\/a> to meet Lifetime Homes Standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span>There is clearly still much to do if adequate accessible housing is to be available to everyone who needs it. There are a variety of groups and charities campaigning for better accessible property legislation and practices, you can find a list of useful websites and resources below:<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcpa.org.uk\/\">Town and Country Planning Association<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.habinteg.org.uk\/\">Habinteg Housing Association<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lifetimehomes.org.uk\/\">Lifetime Homes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.accessible-property.co.uk\/\">Accessible Property Register<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Here at The House Shop\u00a0we want to do everything we can to help disabled people find suitable accessible living solutions that work for them. Traditional <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Estate (land)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/estate-land\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/estate_land;http:\/\/yago-knowledge.org\/resource\/Estate_(land);http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.038t8_;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Estate_(land)\" >estate<\/a> agents do not necessarily have the niche marketing capability to properly <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Market (economics)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/market-economics\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/market_economics;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Market_(economics)\" >market<\/a> accessible properties, and often don\u2019t understand the range of adaptations and improvements available. This is why more and more accessible home-owners have been coming to us wanting to sell their home privately. If you own an accessible property or are looking for disabled-access properties to buy or to <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Renting\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/renting\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/renting;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.01y857;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Renting\" >rent<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/thelittlehousecompany.com\/properties\/all\/property_type\/accessible_property\/trans\/sale\">click here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">by Franki Chaffin-Edwards<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Thursday 15th January, the Public Bill Committee met in Parliament to discuss the government\u2019s new Infrastructure Bill. Among the points to discuss was a proposed amendment by MP Roberta Blackman Woods, which would ensure that local development plans must<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/major-set-back-for-accessible-property\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":3232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[12,17],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":null,"_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/o-WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBILITY-facebook.jpg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/major_set-back_for_accessible_property","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15525,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions\/15525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}