On Wednesday 12 March 2008 RICS organised a lunch debate for Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to discuss the housing requirements for an ageing society. This lunch was organised in cooperation with UK labour MEP Ms. Neena Gill.
Europe’s demography is changing. Birth rates are lower, life expectancy is higher and baby boomers are rapidly approaching retirement age. As a result of these trends, the EU population will become much older. According to Eurostat’s predictions, the proportion of the EU-27 population aged 65 and over will rise from the current 17% to over 30% in 2050, meaning that already by 2045, for every pensioner there will be less than two people working.
These trends have major implications for many areas of society and policies, such as the provision of public goods and services, transport, health care, urban planning and housing.
Ms. Neena Gill’s interest in both housing and the ageing challenge formed the basis for this debate. Prior to becoming an MEP, Ms. Gill was Chief Executive of the Newlon Housing Group. Her latest report as MEP is on ‘Ambient Assisted Living’ (ALL), an EU Research project on enhancing the quality of life of older people through the use of new Information and Communication Technologies.
Two speakers instigated the debate. First, Bernard Heiming, representing the Bundesverband Freier Immobilien- und Wohnungsunternehmen (BFW), the German member of the ‘European Union of Developers and House Builders’ (UEPC), presented a UEPC/BFW study on ‘Housing for Senior Citizens: a future task for European developers’. This study, undertaken in 13 European countries, looks at how the demographic change affects the European housing industry. The study shows that housing for senior citizens is a growth market and that the supply of barrier-free homes differs very much amongst the various countries. The UK and the Netherlands are seen as good examples.
Daniel Salisbury MRICS, of Surveying & Sustainability Services in Rochester, explained the UK concept of Lifetime Homes. This concept states that all public housing should be ‘homes for life’ by 2011, and all new housing by 2013. This concept is all about adaptation, flexible design and technical considerations to make the necessary adjustments easy and cost efficient.
After both presentations, a lively debate followed between the speakers and the MEPs, revealing a great need amongst decision makers for more information and expert advice. RICS will continue to play a role in this debate.
The presentations of both speakers are available for download at the right-hand side of the screen. Also available are the BFW/UEPC study (a single document in French, English and German) and a link to more information on Lifetime Homes and Daniel Salisbury.
For more information, please contact Sander Scheurwater at sscheurwater@rics.org
