Growing numbers of older people are being denied proper access to housing choice, the Retirement Homes Group (RHG) said today.

It is urging Housing Minister Margaret Beckett to ensure that older people are not forgotten as the Government focuses on first time buyers and home owners facing repossession as the housing market crisis continues.

In a letter to Mrs Beckett, Mr Gary Day, the newly elected Chairman of the RHG, part of the Home Builders Federation, set out priorities for housing the country's ageing and growing population during the credit crunch.

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Significant social and economic benefits follow from the provision of good quality specialist housing - not least, the fact that retirement housing frees up under-occupied family-sized housing with beneficial results to the whole housing chain.

Speaking today, Mr Day said: "The retirement homes market is being hit by the credit crunch with failures in the chain, from first-time buyers onward, preventing older people from selling their homes and having a disproportionate impact on the provision of housing for older people.

"We are urging the Government to take steps to assist older people at this time, as in a lot of cases their physical and mental health needs are so reliant upon appropriate accommodation.

"The benefits to the wider market are also clear as when people move into private retirement housing schemes, they are freeing up larger homes for families which, in turn, frees up those families smaller homes for younger couples and for first time buyers."

(CD/JM)