More people are living longer than ever before and in the UK the number of people aged 85 and over is expected to double to 3.2 million by 2041. As populations age, pressure on health and social care services increases. Older people often live alone and have health and mobility issues, which can make everyday tasks (like climbing stairs or taking a bath) more difficult. This can affect their ability to live independently but despite this, new and social housing is not being built with older people in mind.
New Ground Cohousing is a community-led housing scheme with a difference. The apartment block in High Barnet, North London, is the UK’s first and only mixed-tenure group-living community for women aged 50-plus. New Ground hopes to show that cohousing combats isolation and keeps residents active and living independently for longer, making it a better option than traditional housing for millions of older people.
Cohousing communities are created and run by their residents. Each household has their own home, while shared spaces are used for socialising and group activities. New Ground has 25 flats, of which eight are social housing, which is unusual in cohousing schemes. It is home to a diverse group of 26 women, aged 58-94, who manage all aspects of community life together. They hope to demonstrate to policymakers that if actively encouraged and scaled, these kinds of communities could significantly improve older people’s quality of life, while decreasing pressure on national health and social care services.
