Key concepts and data
Concept | Impact on Seniors Housing |
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) | CIL is a development land tax charged on new build developments at differential rates. Local authorities set their CIL rates based on high level viability studies. These studies look at general types of development that are likely to come forward in their area. However, often they don’t take seniors housing into account. This presents a problem, as the economic model underpinning the sector is very different to that of standard housing schemes. |
Use Classes | Use Classes are broad categories of developments which are grouped together for planning purposes. The category that a development falls into will determine the starting points for the planning obligations that it will provide. It also decides how it is treated for CIL purposes. There are two use classes that senior housing schemes could fall into: C3 Dwellings, which contains people’s homes and standard market housing; and C2 Residential Institutions, that provide care to those in need of it. Modern care provision often aims at preserving a resident’s independence for as long as possible, meaning that it can share many characteristics with market housing. The key difference between the two is the provision of care to residents. For a number of years, ARCO have been calling for the creation of a clear definition for housing-with-care in the planning system under a separate use class, or alternatively, clarification under which circumstances housing-with-care schemes should sit within the existing C2 use class. |
Local Plan/ Development Plan | These documents set the strategic planning priorities for a local authority area over the plan period, which usually run for ten to fifteen years. The local plan policies determine where, and what types of development, are likely to come forward in the foreseeable future. |
