Partnership housing business Lovell has announced that Morgan Sindall Later Living will join Lovell as a new division called Lovell Later Living.
This announcement comes as the UK housing industry faces one of its toughest challenges — tackling the chronic shortage of purpose-built, supported living accommodation for the elderly and vulnerable in our communities. The joining of Lovell and the specialist Later Living team will bring its partners, which includes housing associations, local authorities and care providers, the opportunity to develop new communities that include the urgent accommodation needs of the elderly and vulnerable.
Commenting on this news, Lovell Managing Director Steve Coleby said: “We work hard with our partners to address the housing crisis in the UK and by bringing the Later Living team into the Lovell business we are now better able to support the needs of elderly and vulnerable people as one team. That’s a strong proposition. Our role at Lovell is to work with partners to design and deliver schemes that truly reflect our population and also consider how places need to evolve over time. We recognise that the later living market has a number of unique challenges around care provision and funding and I am excited to work with the team to bring this knowledge and capability into the wider Lovell business, and ultimately bring this expertise to our partners.”
With a reported undersupply of suitable properties for the elderly and vulnerable reaching 45%, the UK market is well behind many other markets globally. The COVID pandemic has also brought into sharp focus the specific issue of social isolation and the need of the elderly to be better catered for in our communities.
Lovell Later Living Interim Managing Director John Leary explains how the team is working with partners to deliver schemes that reflect the real needs of older generations: “Supporting the people in our communities that need us the most should be a priority for every development in the UK which is why we work with like-minded organisations to deliver schemes that enable older generations to really enjoy later life. Every scheme we develop includes spaces that feel invigorating and uplifting, enabling residents to socialise and enjoy classes, workshops or simply a chat.
“We must also factor in the wider context of our schemes and ensure that new facilities are totally connected to existing public transport networks and neighbouring towns, allowing residents to continue enjoying the community that often they have lived in for many years. This is an exciting time for the team and the synergy between Lovell Later Living and the overall Lovell business will allow us to make a significant difference to many more people.”
The Lovell Later Living team has 12 schemes underway and is working with partners including HC One, Places for People, Southern Housing and Home Group along with a number of UK local authorities and care providers.
The Later Living team recently completed the Mossdale Residence in Burnholme, York, illustrating perfectly the values by which Lovell Later Living operates, Steve concluded: “The fit between Lovell and our Later Living team is seamless and as a combined team we will bring our partners a significant advantage in tackling the most serious housing issues we face today.”
