Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury bungalow shortage is a ‘crisis brewing’

One claim that is sometimes levelled at Shropshire is that it is a retirement hotspot – but new figures have shown that the county is letting some older people down when it comes to their ideal housing.

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The number of bungalows coming onto the property market in Shrewsbury is among the lowest rates in the country, according to figures from an online estate agent.

Single-storey properties account for less than seven per cent of the houses currently up for sale across the UK.

But around Shrewsbury the figure is even lower, at just over half that rate – only 3.8 per cent of the homes on sale in the SY postcode are bungalows. That's just 26 of the 681 homes that are up for sale.

In the TF postcode covering Telford and Market Drayton, 9.2 per cent of available properties are bungalows.

With a declining number of new-build bungalows being built, bosses at HouseSimple.com say the lack of properties which appeal to older people could push them out of their homes and into care at a younger age.

Alex Gosling, the site's chief executive, said: "We could be facing a specific housing shortage that hasn’t been addressed, or certainly hasn’t been at the top of the Government’s priority list.

"There is a lack of suitable housing for the older generation, and with fewer bungalows being built and the existing stock declining or off the market indefinitely, there is a crisis brewing that could put a terrific strain on the care home system and NHS in the next decade."

He added: “We have an ageing population but there isn’t the housing infrastructure in place to meet the needs of this demographic.

"Bungalows have provided a solution but the fact that fewer are being built every year speaks volumes. Without any incentives or Government intervention, why should housebuilders choose needs over profit.

"There is every chance that house builders could stop building bungalows altogether in the next three to five years. The knock-on effect of that eventuality could be catastrophic if provisions aren’t put in place.”

Shrewsbury has the 10th lowest proportion of bungalows as a proportion of available houses in the country, and is sandwiched between Manchester and Reading on the list. Unsurprisingly London has the lowest rate.

Popular seaside retirement spots including Worthing in West Sussex, Bournemouth in Dorset and Eastbourne in Sussex top the list for bungalow availability.