Reflections from Housing LIN’s Annual Conference, Bristol

I was keen to attend the Housing LIN Shaping Homes for Health, Independence and Connection Bristol event back in March 2026 - not only because it was held in my home city of Bristol, but also to hear Ian Workman, the Chief National Officer and keynote speaker from Homes England.

His message was clear: over the next decade, we will see a significant acceleration in housing delivery, with social and affordable homes at the forefront. The commitment to delivering 1.5 million homes—at least 60% for Social Rent—marks a strong and welcome direction.

Encouragingly, there is also growing recognition of the importance of specialist and supported housing, particularly for older people. While more complex and often more costly to deliver, these homes play a vital role in supporting independence, health and wellbeing. The then recently published Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) (opens new window) reflects this, alongside a continued focus on strong design standards and partnership-led delivery. I welcome this. It aligns closely with our work at Anchor. Supporting older people to enjoy later life has always been our focus, and as demand increases, so too does the need for high-quality, affordable housing designed around older people’s needs.

Partnership working is fundamental. Anchor operates in over 85% of local authority areas in England, giving us deep experience in collaborating with local authorities, as well as health and social care partners. Together, we can deliver the right homes in the right places—creating communities that reduce isolation and help people truly love living in later life.

For over 60 years, Anchor has been helping older people enjoy later life. In today’s ageing society, our housing, care and support are needed more than ever. We support a diverse range of older people across England and are committed to creating choice and opportunity, shaping our homes and services around their changing needs.

At Anchor, our Extra Care and Independent living developments are underpinned by clear core principles and a comprehensive design approach for housing for older people. Our focus is on creating environments that not only meet practical needs, but genuinely enhance quality of life through thoughtful, innovative design —aligned wherever possible with best practice, including HAPPI principles. We are seeing growing demand for extra care housing. With over 30 years’ specialist experience in this field and more than 100 Extra Care locations across the country, not to mention care homes and housing for the over 55s in more than 85% of local authorities across England, we know what works—and how to deliver it well. 

Community is at the heart of everything we do. For example, At Poppyfields an Extra Care scheme in St, Neots, Cambridgeshire, Poppyseeds is a unique and heartwarming initiative that brings together older and younger generations in a truly meaningful way. The group is made up of local childminders who bring the children they care for into Poppyfields to spend time with our residents in our dining room.

What starts as a simple visit quickly turns into something much more special. Each session is filled with fun, conversation, and shared moments. Whether it’s reading stories, singing songs, playing games, doing crafts, planting seeds or simply chatting, the interactions between residents and children create a lively and uplifting atmosphere throughout the scheme.

For our residents, these visits offer a valuable opportunity to connect with younger generations—something many enjoy and look forward to. The presence of the children brings energy, warmth, and a real sense of purpose.

For the children, the experience is equally enriching. Spending time with older people helps to build confidence, social skills, and an understanding of community and respect for others. Poppyseeds has had an impact on wellbeing across the scheme. Residents have talked about how much brighter their day feels after a visit, and the group has become a regular highlight in many people’s routines.

It also strengthens our ties with the local community, creating a welcoming, open environment where people of all ages can come together. Initiatives like Poppyseeds showcase the power of simple ideas to make a big difference. By opening our doors to local childminders and the children they look after, we’ve created something that benefits everyone involved.

At Poppyfields, we’re incredibly proud of Poppyseeds and the joy it brings. It’s a wonderful reminder that community isn’t just about where you live—it’s about the relationships you build and the moments you share.

Alongside providing strong landlord services and safe, well-maintained homes, we offer a comprehensive wellbeing approach that supports residents in later life. By creating communities where people can thrive, we enable greater independence for longer helping to reduce reliance on more costly health and care interventions, including pressures on the NHS. Our vision is to support happy, healthy living for years to come—raising the bar for design standards and quality across the sector.

Looking ahead

As highlighted at the Bristol conference, the direction set out by Homes England represents a significant opportunity for the sector—and one that Anchor is well placed to support. With a strong development pipeline focused on increasing the supply of social rent and affordable homes for older people, we are committed to playing our part in delivering high-quality, future-ready housing. By aligning national ambition with local delivery, and by working in genuine partnership, we can create homes where people don’t just live but truly thrive in later life.

The future is one of collaboration, innovation and impact and we’re excited to help shape it and be part of the solution.  In line with the Housing LIN’s ambitions and, as outlined at the Bristol conference, Anchor’s vision is simple: to raise the bar for quality, design and experience, and to create homes that truly support happy, fulfilling lives in later years.  

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Kirsty is a newly appointed member of the Housing LIN’s South West Leadership Set.

Ian Workman’s conference presentation can be found here

Lastly, Anchor is proud to sponsor the Housing LIN’s events’ pages here.