RESEARCH from a Middlewich developer has revealed downsizing is unfeasible for retirees.

New research by McCarthy Stone, which is behind the Roman Court Retirement Living development on Wheelock Street in the town, has found that almost a third (30 per cent) of older people in the north west, would consider moving, with a fifth (19 per cent) potentially needing to downsize.

But McCarthy Stone’s research found many retirees felt there were too many barriers that disincentivised them to move.

The poll, conducted with YouGov, found that a lack of suitable housing options remained one of the primary barriers standing in the way of older people moving, with 34 per cent of retirees calling for the UK to prioritise the development of more retirement housing solutions.

Almost a fifth (17 per cent) of north west retirees suggested that a stamp duty exemption for downsizing would significantly encourage them to move.

Divisional sales and marketing director for the north west, Fiona Brookes, believes the issue can be addressed by a range of policy changes, including a stamp duty exemption for downsizers moving into a retirement community, the establishment of a Later Living Taskforce that looks at ways to build more suitable properties, and for the Government to work with Homes England, its housing delivery agency, to make 10 per cent of their new housing designed specifically for older people.

McCarthy Stone’s Retirement Living developments, such as the forthcoming Roman Court, have been designed exclusively for those aged 60 and over, with ease of living in mind.

Speaking on the results of the research, Fiona Brookes said: “Over the last few years, we have seen growing narratives that older people are ‘refusing to downsize’ and ‘clogging up the housing market’.

“However, as these results show, this completely misses the mark.

“The reality is that for many older people in the north west there is a genuine desire to move and downsize, yet little has been done to encourage them to do so.

“If we are serious about protecting the interests of our ageing population, then the Government must rethink its approach to retirement housing to ensure we can begin to deliver the necessary supply.”