Summary

Ruth Hunter is joined by Lord Richard Best, one of the UK’s most influential voices in housing policy and a long-standing campaigner for Lifetime Homes and inclusive design.

Lord Best shares how the Lifetime Homes movement began, why accessibility progress has stalled, and what needs to change now — including making M4(2) the default through Building Regulations and creating trusted Good Home Hubs so people can get impartial support to adapt their homes before crisis hits.

The conversation also explores the power of major housebuilders, the economics of preventing falls, and why stigma and poor design still stop people from accepting adaptations.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome + introduction to Lord Richard Best

• 01:39 — The letter that changed everything: Dr Jenny Morris calls out a lack of accessibility

• 03:20 — Creating Lifetime Homes: the 16 principles and “homes for a whole lifetime”

• 05:00 — Housebuilders’ resistance and why standards work best when they’re mandatory

• 06:22 — The lift analogy: how regulation normalises better design

• 08:30 — Why we need to move beyond M4(1): the case for M4(2) as baseline

• 09:48 — Lifetime Homes vs specialist older persons’ housing: why both matter

• 11:31 — Falls, delayed discharge, and the real cost of inaccessible homes

• 12:56 — The biggest lever: upgrading Building Regulations (M4(2) as mandatory)

• 16:04 — The “oligopoly”: how a handful of major builders shape delivery

• 18:23 — Downsizing as a housing solution: accessible homes unlocking family stock

• 19:33 — A practical model: redeveloping underused garage sites into accessible homes

• 23:05 — Planning delays aren’t just policy — they’re resourcing and skills

• 26:14 — Retrofitting reality: we’ll never build enough new homes for an ageing population

• 28:42 — The “push factor”: why people act late, not early

• 30:03 — DFG support and why many people still don’t know where to start

• 31:03 — Equity loans for adaptations: unlocking value to fund home improvements

• 32:40 — BATH-OUT: why bathing is one of the most powerful adaptations

• 36:02 — Stigma and aesthetics: why people refuse adaptations (and what good design changes)

• 38:41 — Safety and “visual markers”: how poor exterior design can increase vulnerability

• 40:28 — Two priorities: upgrade regs + create Good Home Hubs

• 46:44 — Political churn: why progress keeps resetting (housing minister turnover)

• 48:46 — How to contact Lord Best

Keywords

Accessible housing, Lifetime Homes, universal design, Building Regulations, Approved Document M, M4(1), M4(2), M4(3), inclusive design, ageing population, occupational therapy (OT), Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), home adaptations, walk-in showers, falls prevention, delayed discharge, social housing, planning system, housebuilder oligopoly, Good Home Hubs, Centre for Ageing Better, Habinteg, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Dr Jenny Morris

Contact details

Lord Richard Best: [email protected]

🔗 Connect with Lord Best on LinkedIn (search: Lord Best)

Thanks for listening to Accessible Housing Matters UK!

If you’re inspired to learn more or want to explore working with me on creating accessible, inclusive, and beautiful properties, I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Visit www.veredusproperty.com
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Together, we can make accessible housing the standard, not the exception.
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