Is Britain on the cusp of a intergenerational living renaissance?

Yet fast-forward to today, and a familiar picture is once again emerging: Britain is experiencing a strong resurgence of intergenerational living, despite us supposedly being a nation of independent homeowners. ONS figures from 2019 showed that there were nearly 223,000 households that included a person under 45, an over-69 and someone in between. When taking into account homes housing two generations (20% of 25-34 year olds still live with their parents), CBRE research shows the total number of intergenerational residences in the UK now sits at around 1.8m – an increase of 38% in just ten years.

The reasons for younger people living with their parents needs little introduction: the cost-of-living crisis, driven by two years of spiking inflation and rampant interest rates, has made buying a home unfeasible for many millennials. A lack of supply means even for those young people who can afford a home, there aren’t enough going: compared to the average European country, Britain has a backlog of over 4.3 million homes.

Yet there is growing evidence that the number of elderly people moving in with their children is increasing too – primarily driven by economic circumstances, widowers experiencing loneliness and a shortage of senior living homes.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at this intergenerational living resurgence – after all, numerous bodies of research indicate the physical and mental benefits of this model for both elderly and young people alike.

A 2019 UCL study found that increased social contact between the ages of 50 to 70 is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. Further research has highlighted how intergenerational living benefits the elderly by giving them a greater sense of purpose and combatting loneliness, in turn leading to a greater life expectancy.

For young to middle aged adults, studies have found that they too benefit from living with elderly people – by collaborating with them on communal activities, utilising their advice and guidance, and developing a broader outlook on life. As a result, younger people are more likely to identify what unites rather than differentiates generations, thus reducing ageism and segregation, and fostering an increased sense of intergenerational trust and social capital.

I know personally how beneficial it is to be around elderly people. Whenever I feel anxious about world events – be it Putin or Gaza - time spent in the company of people who have lived through these experiences before settles the mind, and makes me feel like everything will be okay. For those who have come of age during Covid or the cost of living crisis, I believe they can truly benefit from those who have also been through events such as the Second World War and Three-Day Week.

Traditionally, intergenerational living took the form of generations of the same family residing together in a single household. This delivered financial benefits, but also had disadvantages: a considerable amount of space was required within a single property, and often the property required modification to accommodate the needs of both the young and elderly.

Today, the intergenerational concept is evolving into a new model – one that brings young and elderly people together within the same purpose-built housing development. Young and elderly live independently but share communal facilities such as a gym or restaurant and engage in community projects together. 

This is an approach we are embracing at our new 60-apartment assisted living retirement community in Mill Hill, North London, where a partnership with the student living platform Hybr will see a proportion of units dedicated to key workers and students - enabling them to rent in the same development as retirees. It’s a unique approach, an industry-first that we’re hugely excited about, and a project that we believe will be hugely successful. 

There remain plenty of hurdles for purpose-built intergenerational housing to overcome for the concept to scale. After decades of private home ownership in which the young and old in society have become segregated, if not almost ghettoised, each demographic has become alienated from the other. Strengthening trust between the two communities takes times. Intergenerational living on a serious scale would also require considerable public and private support – from developers, government and local authorities, including greater planning flexibility.

If these hurdles can be overcome, the benefits are there to be realised - and don’t just take my word for it. In 2018, Marmalade Lane, Cambridge’s first specifically intergenerational cohousing development was established. Its residents come from all walks of life, including young professionals, families and retirees. Living across 42 private homes, the residents share communal social facilities and gardens. The project has proved to be an overwhelming success: a social community in which young and old flourish together.

Honor Barratt, CEO, Birchgrove