Dominic Raab has been asked to intervene after a local council in his constituency was accused of “a callous and ageist policy approach” for refusing permission for a £100m retirement village because it would “undermine the vitality” of the town.
Proposals for the 222-apartment site in the centre of Walton-on-Thames in Surrey promised to transform a derelict brownfield site, creating jobs and intergenerational public facilities.
Planners estimated it would generate £10.7m in additional local spending each year. The scheme also proposed transitional care beds to relieve stress on local services.
But the plans were turned down on Wednesday after the council said the project would “fail to add to the centre’s competitiveness and would undermine the vitality and viability of town centre”.
Raab, the foreign secretary and MP for Esher and Walton, has been urged to intervene after charities and campaign groups criticised the council’s grounds for refusal and lawyers said it could be in breach of the Equality Act.
It is understood that Raab has agreed to remind the council of its duty to abide by the Equality Act.
This month Boris Johnson pledged to “fix the injustice” of care home funding and rectify England’s “sclerotic” planning system.
Eugene Marchese, a co-founder and director at the retirement housing developer Guild Living, said: “From the outset, the council’s opposition has not been directed towards the scheme itself but to our idea of homes for older people in Walton town centre.
“People across the country will read the words of this local authority and be shocked that after months of seeing care homes ravaged by Covid-19, an elected body can take such a callous and ageist policy approach.”
Phil Bayliss, the chief executive of Later Living at Guild Living’s parent company, Legal & General, said: “Far from depleting ‘vitality’ in the town centre, this project would place older people where they belong, right in the heart of their community, while supporting the local economy.”
Over the next 10 years the number of people aged over 85 in the UK is projected to double to 3.5 million. In Elmbridge, the council’s housing statistics show that while the population in some age cohorts will fall, those in the over-70s category will rise dramatically, from 17,000 to 29,000 by 2037. The largest growth – of 213% – is forecast to occur among those aged 90 and above.
“These facts completely undermine the local planning officer’s claim that there is no need for purpose-built accommodation for older people in this area,” said Bayliss.
In 2018 a planning inspector accepted evidence of a significant shortfall in the supply of specialised accommodation in the borough of Elmbridge, noting that “there is no doubt in my mind that there is a clear local need in Elmbridge for all forms of elderly persons’ accommodation, and indeed this need is both urgent and growing.”
But in its statement recommending refusal, the council said: “There is no urgent need for the delivery of any more nursing care bed spaces in Elmbridge for a foreseeable future.
“The proposed development fails to make efficient use of land by providing the type of elderly accommodation for which there is no short- or medium-term need. The application fails to support diversity in the town centre, it fails to add to the centre’s competitiveness and would undermine the vitality and viability of [the] town centre.”
Jan Dyer, 76, who lives in Walton-on-Thames, said: “I am appalled at these ageist and insulting comments from Elmbridge borough council. As for being ‘detrimental’ and not bringing anything of value to the local town, this is both degrading and untrue. There is ample proof from organisations such as the University of the Third Age that older people contribute fully to the life of their local communities.”
In a statement, the council said: “We recognise the importance of our responsibilities under the 2010 Equality Act and we are confident that our report does not discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of age.
“The conclusion that care accommodation is unacceptable should not be viewed in isolation, it is a summation of the detailed analysis of the local need for this type of accommodation, including the concentrated supply in Walton town centre, compared with other much-needed accommodation such as one- and two-bedroom homes for families, as well as the failure to consider alternative mixed-use schemes including different types of housing and retail/entertainment units.”
