Older family members could live independently next to younger relatives with a door linking the two homes, under plans for a housing development in York.
The intergenerational plan could be introduced to the scheme for 85 new homes at Burnholme. Wheelchair accessible homes would also be built on site.
The development is close to Applefields School for young people with special educational needs, a school which some pupils travel 40 miles a day to attend. Planning documents say it is hoped the development could be attractive to families with children at the school.
All homes will be built to passivhaus – low carbon – standards. The scheme is a City of York Council housebuilding programme – with up to 40 per cent of homes affordable and the rest sold at market value.
“As well as providing accessible family houses, apartments and bungalows, the development also includes intergenerational homes,” a council report says.
“These houses support two parts of a family to live together with independence. The two parts of the house contain everything needed to live as a separate household but with a connecting door to enable family support as circumstances require.
“This design supports our ambitions of enabling people to live well at home for as long as possible.
“Evidence suggests this is the best health and wellbeing outcome for individuals and families.”
Traffic-free streets
There are plans for traffic-free streets where children can safely play, as well as shared alleyways behind homes where residents are expected to grow vegetables or eat together and younger children may spend time outdoors.
The development will have 74 parking spaces – 11 of them reserved for blue badge holders – and 247 bicycle parking places.
Planning documents say the focus of the designs has been on “health and wellbeing”, adding: “Residents would like to see housing suitable for a mix of people, families, tenures and ages to support a more sociable and intergenerational community at the heart of Burnholme.”
There will be five self-build plots.
The site is at the former Burnholme College, which closed in 2014.
If the planning application is approved, work could start next year.
View the application at the York council planning portal here.