We are proud to support Accessible Homes Week

Access to adequate and safe housing is recognised as a human right according to the United Nations and one of the core elements is the accessibility of a dwelling. 

We are therefore proud to support Habinteg's Accessible Homes Week (opens new window) (AHW) to celebrate what an accessible home can do for a person's wellbeing, independence and overall quality of life.

This year’s AHW marks a decade since the introduction of Part M4(2) accessible and adaptable dwellings and Part M4(3) wheelchair user dwellings into building regulations, and the theme of the week is the accessible housing standards 10 years on.

However, before that, it was the last Labour government in 2008 that set the stage to implement the 16 Lifetime Homes Standards (LHS) as the new regulatory baseline. This was specified in their strategy, Delivering Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods. It wasn’t until 2015 that the optional standards in Part M4(2), based on the 16 design criteria outlined in LHS, were introduced. Then, in 2022, a mandatory requirement for Part M4(2) was agreed on, but never implemented.

Now, with an upcoming national Housing Strategy and Plan to support its commitment to deliver 1.5million new homes, as a member of the HoME Coalition, we are united in calling on this Labour government to mandate higher accessibility requirements for all new homes.

The Housing LIN’s CEO, Jeremy Porteus, said:

“With the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act this year and a professional lifetime calling for greater accessible standards - from Lifetime Homes design criteria to the HAPPI principles and now inclusive design - why should older people and people with disabilities be denied this right?”

For more on the HoME Coalition’s campaign, visit the Centre for Ageing Better webpage (opens new window), which co-chairs the group. You can also explore the Housing LIN Design Hub for tools and resources on accessible and adaptable homes, HAPPI, age-friendly communities, inclusive design, and more.

We’re also publishing a series of blogs to mark thirty years since the Disability Discrimination Act. This will culminate in a special HAPPI Hour webinar with guest contributors on the afternoon of Tuesday, 11 November. Further details are available on our Forthcoming Events webpage.