Enhancing the accessibility, adaptability, and usability of Scotland’s homes

The 1998 Guide

All new homes built in Scotland are required to meet the minimum standards set out in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the accompanying Building Standards Technical Handbooks. The Housing for Varying Needs Design Guide (‘the guide’) provides an additional standard for affordable housing, applying to all homes receiving grant funding through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP). The standards apply to new-build homes delivered, or purchased from developers, by Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities with the aid of grant funding. The guide incorporates a ‘barrier-free’ approach to accessibility, providing guidance on good practice to allow flexibility and adaptability over time. The guide is comprised of two parts:

• Part 1: The design of self-contained houses and flats
• Part 2: The provision of homes for people who need housing with ‘integral support’ which usually includes accommodation with communal spaces and facilities.

The guide was first published in 1998 and is now more than 25 years old. The commitment to review the guide, with the aim of enhancing the accessibility, adaptability and usability of homes delivered through the AHSP was set out in Scotland’s long-term national housing strategy, Housing to 2040. That strategy also provided a commitment to developing and introducing an all-tenure Scottish Accessible Homes Standard (‘SAHS’) to be implemented through changes to building standard and guidance to be introduced from 2025-26.

The 2023 Consultation

The Scottish Government issued a consultation, ‘Enhancing the accessibility, adaptability and usability of Scotland’s homes’ in 2023. The consultation’s aim being to improve housing accessibility through the review of Part 1 of the guide and by introducing a SAHS through updates to building standards and guidance. The revised design guide will only apply to new affordable housing delivered through the AHSP. The SAHS, which will apply to all housing tenures, will be based on the design guide standards with some exceptions. Part 2 of the design guide is not reviewed. The updates to the guide are intended to reflect the changes in standards required to meet the needs of changing demographics such as our ageing population, people’s desire to stay living in their own homes for longer, and the need for new homes to be digitally enabled. The proposal aims to provide an appropriate balance between delivery of quality, accessible housing to meet a variety of needs, and maximising the number of affordable homes that can be delivered.

The consultation closed on 21 December 2023 with a view to updates to building standards and guidance being introduced in 2024 -2025, for phased introduction between 2025 and 2030, recognising that different types of homes in different places may need more or less time to achieve compliance.

Reviewing the guide

A review of the design guide is to be welcomed as a means of ensuring that new quality homes are being built to better accessibility standards, can be more easily adapted, and are fit for the future. The guide will continue to be of value to private sector builders who are seeking guidance in relation to delivering homes that meet a range of people’s needs.

As noted within the consultation, Scotland has an ageing population, with people preferring to live in their own homes for longer. Independent living can ease the pressure on other services such as health and social care where housing with care can successfully support people requiring extra help, reducing the need for hospital stays or moves to residential care. The decision not to review Part 2 of the guide may, therefore, be a missed opportunity. Whilst the Scottish Government has stated a clear commitment to support people to live well at home for as long as possible, the consultation focusses on mainstream accommodation. It does not attempt to review Part 2 with a view to addressing the lack of specialist-supported accommodation for those who need it. Reviewing Part 2 of the guide could have presented an opportunity for the Scottish Government to acknowledge the role that the provision of specialist accommodation by social landlords plays, and explore the changes required to promote the partnerships needed for it to be funded and delivered successfully.

Holistic approach

In the face of a national housing emergency, and significant cuts to the AHSP, social landlords face significant challenges when playing their role in tackling the housing shortage and ensuring that the nation’s future housing stock is fit for the reality of an ageing population and an increase in people with complex accessibility needs. Housing cannot deliver all that is required on its own. A holistic approach which achieves joined-up solutions to create a sustainable future in which homes can adapt as people’s needs change will be required. Measures will require to be put in place to ensure that there is greater partnership working between Registered Social Landlords, Health and Social Care Organisations, and Local Authorities in collaboration with planners, architectural practices, house builders, estate agents, surveyors, and financial experts if our built environment and homes are to be adapted, built, and delivered in a way in which is reflective of the changing needs and expectations of society.