Ministers have been urged by a think tank to reform the planning system to encourage greater provision of bungalows.
That call was highlighted in a paper by the Policy Exchange which argued that the concentration of home ownership among the older population was stoking intergenerational unfairness in the housing market.
According to the right-of-centre think tank one way to improve the position would be to encourage developers to build more homes attractive to the elderly looking to downsize, freeing up family-sized homes for younger families.
It said current rules on density made it almost impossible for developers to build houses without extra floors which had led to a situation where only two per cent of UK housing stock consists of bungalows. In 2009, only 300 bungalows were built.
Alex Morton, Policy Exchange head of housing and planning, said ‘More homes like bungalows, tailored to the needs of older homeowners, will help free up family-sized properties for the younger generation.’
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