TRICS Database to Include Specific Extra Care Housing Data for the First Time

The government are taking active steps to increase the delivery of housing focussing mainly on improving opportunities for first time buyers, largely leaving the planning system to ensure delivery of everything else. This means that the delivery of specialist housing for older people, a significant challenge to be met given the acknowledged growth over the next decade, continues to lack enough specific recognition and must face up to the multitude of planning challenges to overcome delivery restraints. One notable area that has required review for some time is the matter of highways impacts from these developments in regards to trip generation and parking requirements. With the lack of any independent data the issues have been dealt with on a case-by-case, operator-by-operator approach with everyone arguing for different provision.

To address this issue Tetlow King Planning have been working in partnership with TRICS to undertake a pilot scheme to model traffic data for a number of extra care developments as part of the updating of the national database. The scheme has initially focussed on the South East and South West regions looking  at extra care developments in combination with care homes (retirement communities or CCRCs as they are known) operated by private sector developers as well as housing organisations. The intention is to roll this scheme out across other regions in forthcoming updates.

Iain Warner, Associate Director, at Tetlow King, said “This is an important first step in compiling an independent source of data that can be used  as the baseline for future development proposals. TRICS provides independent data that developers and local authorities/highway agencies can rely on when assessing the impacts of these types of development removing the current confusion and lack of appreciation of the unique characteristics that operate within the sites. We look forward to continuing to work with TRICS to expand this data set over future years to improve the understanding.”

Ian Coles of TRICS said:

“TRICS is a forward-thinking organisation and we are always looking to provide our users with new data covering land uses that are becoming more commonplace. We have enjoyed working with Tetlow King on this project, and we look forward to delivering more data for CCRC developments and including this on the database for the benefit of all member organisations. I am very pleased that the first batch of data has been included in our March 2016 TRICS 7.3.1 update.”

For any further information on this project, or if you have a scheme in other regions that you would like to have listed for future consideration, please contact Iain Warner on 01732 870988 or iain.warner@tetlow-king.co.uk to discuss further.