A Lifetime Neighbourhood - Ageing In Place

The Gannochy Trust manages a mixed - use area at the edge of Perth which includes exemplar housing for mid-market rent and sheltered housing.  We facilitated a collaborative process with the Trust and their tenants to review how the whole estate functioned. This included a housing needs survey which revealed a demographic imbalance - over 70% of residents were aged over 55.

We used our place – based analysis to develop a masterplan which knits together housing and greenspace to encourage a more balanced community, support social networks and promote well-being. 

A Lifetime Neighbourhood now provides a setting for civic and social activities linked to the physical environment. It supports a thriving social network that promotes wellbeing and empowers residents within a neighbourhood which is accessible for everyone. 

Linear habitats (such as hedgerows, tree lines and watercourses) are being consolidated and improved to allow wildlife to travel through a network of green corridors. This improves connectivity and landscape quality for local people, through a better network of greenspace.

There are pleasant, shorter walks for less mobile people, a range of types of sociable outdoor spaces, accessible garden spaces and spaces for food production.

We have designed healthy homes for life – these are flexible new homes that can accommodate residents as their needs change and which are equally suitable for young families, older people downsizing, or people with a disability and their carers. We have drawn on our experience of designing ‘dementia friendly’ homes and neighbourhoods, using knowledge gained from our involvement in Memory Friendly Neighbourhood research with Scottish academics.

New homes incorporate a healthy alternative to Passivhaus construction based on a strategy of effective passive ventilation developed in collaboration with MEARU at Glasgow School of Art.