Guild Living

Legal & General’s Guild Living business – who aim to reinstate older people at the heart of lives and communities – are gathering support for their latest development after a local planning officer suggested the scheme should be rejected.

The developer – who’ll be speaking on our upcoming Retirement & Later Life Living Event – is looking to build a new state-of-the-art retirement complex in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, but Planning Officers have advised Elmbridge Borough Council to reject the scheme as those living in the new area who “undermine the vitality and viability of the town centre.” [emaillocker id=”71749″]

Legal & General’s campaign team contacted Dorah May, chief officer of Age Concern Epsom, who said: “To suggest that more older residents in Walton-on-Thames town centre will do nothing to enhance the area’s ‘vitality’ is misguided, inaccurate and, above all, deeply offensive.

“We urge Elmbridge Borough Council to withdraw such ludicrous comments and see this planning application for what it is — an opportunity to set a benchmark for how Surrey and Britain as a whole should be looking after the elderly.”

Phil Bayliss, CEO of Later Living at Legal & General and chairman of Guild Living, said: “It is a matter of great concern that Elmbridge Borough Council is seemingly unaware of both its duty to protect its growing population of older people, but also of a potential breach of the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits public authorities acting in a discriminatory way, including discrimination on the basis of age.

“Far from depleting ‘vitality’ in the town centre, this project would place older people where they belong — right in the heart of their community — while supporting the local economy and delivering on Elmbridge Council’s obligation to provide adequate housing for older people. It is my sincerest hope that the council will have a change of both heart and mind and withdraws its recommendation for refusal.”

An Elmbridge Borough Council spokesperson told us: “Application 2020/0823 is due to be considered by the council’s planning committee on 20th October 2020 at 5pm and has not yet been determined. The application has been assessed against the council’s adopted planning policies and the NPPF which seek to ensure that development in the borough meet the identified housing need. As part of this assessment officers have considered the need for elderly accommodation as well as the need for smaller market and affordable homes. The council strongly refutes the unfounded allegation.”

Guild Living are speaking on our upcoming Retirement & Later Life Living Development Plans Event – register here: https://www.built-environment-networking.com/event/retirement-living/

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