HEALTHY LIVING HUBS Housing, care, and community under one roof

Mark Gowdridge

Mark Gowdridge, with Simon Dunstan, is co-founder and director at Regen Partner, a specialist consultancy supporting public sector clients to unlock, shape and deliver high-quality, community-focused places. An established architect with over 25 years’ experience, Mark is also co-founder of GT3 Architects, where he has led the design and delivery of major public sector projects across the UK, particularly within the sport and leisure sector.

Regen Partner kindly agreed to write this article after presenting virtually to ACES Eastern Branch. The speakers outlined a delivery model through public private partnership. Housing, care, and community don’t have to work separately. Regen Partner’s Healthy Living Hub model offers a new way for councils to support independent living, reduce pressure on care services, and deliver long-term value – without capital risk. 

The challenge 

Local authorities across the UK are grappling with rising housing demand, mounting pressure on adult social care budgets, and increased strain on hospitals. At the same time, many family homes remain under-occupied. With tight budgets and growing expectations, councils are seeking joined-up, sustainable solutions that improve outcomes, without requiring new capital outlay. 

A new path forward for healthy living 

Regen Partner’s Healthy Living Hub model answers this need. It brings together extra care housing with wellness, leisure and lifestyle facilities, creating an integrated environment that supports independence, reduces hospital demand, and helps councils deliver measurable value – all without exposing them to capital risk. 

The model is built on principles of prevention, inclusion and long-term planning. It doesn't treat housing, care, and community facilities as separate services, but as a connected ecosystem that can improve lives and reduce costs. 

The Regen Partner model 

Each Healthy Living Hub combines multi-generational extra care housing with inclusive community spaces. Developments are managed by a registered provider with expertise in housing and care, and funded through institutional investment, ensuring quality and stability over the long term. Located in well-connected urban areas, the hubs help residents stay active and engaged with their communities. 

Step-up and step-down accommodation is also incorporated to support people with disabilities or those in need of transitional care, providing flexible housing pathways that prevent hospital admissions and enable smoother recovery. Homes are built to Lifetime Home standards and include assistive technology, supporting residents to live well and remain independent. 

The model also encourages intergenerational living, creating inclusive spaces where younger and older people can live side by side – helping to balance neighbourhoods and reduce social isolation across age groups. Its hub model integrates housing for those over 18 years old and on social care and housing benefits. 

The financial structure 

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Healthy Living Hub model is its financial independence. Councils face no capital exposure. The model uses the Exempt Rent route, meaning Housing Benefit covers rent, management, and eligible communal services – avoiding the need for public grant funding. 

Several safeguards are built in to protect both councils and funders: 

• Six months’ rent held in escrow to guard against voids 

• A six-month rent-free period for unoccupied units 

• An 8% voids buffer applied across occupied homes. 

Land can be sold or leased (if assets need to be protected). The funding structure creates above-average land receipts, due to council backed nominations and long-term income. The nomination agreements ensure a steady flow of tenants and reducing borrowing costs for the registered provider. 

This structure creates a sustainable, scalable approach to housing and care – one that enables delivery without undermining financial resilience. 

The New Towns Initiative 

The government’s New Towns Initiative aims to unlock economic growth, accelerate housing delivery, and create resilient, mixed communities. Healthy Living Hubs support this agenda by providing affordable and extra care housing, creating strong communities with the necessary infrastructure, and delivering environmentally sustainable places. 

NHS and social care reform 

Regen Partner is working closely with Integrated Care Boards, NHS Trusts, and NHS England to integrate housing, health, and social care. The hubs are designed to reduce admissions, shorten hospital stays, and support residents to return home more quickly. This reduces reliance on costly residential care placements, enabling more people to live independently. 

Sport England and active design 

Sport England’s national strategy, Towards an Active Nation, emphasises the importance of addressing inactivity by integrating opportunities for physical activity into the built environment. hubs reflect this approach by providing leisure and wellness facilities at the heart of each development, ensuring that opportunities for activity are accessible, inclusive, and safe. 

By aligning with these policy frameworks, hubs deliver against multiple local and national objectives, ensuring they meet the needs of residents while also supporting long-term strategy. 

Housing and care solutions 

Hubs offer more than extra care housing. They include step-up and step-down accommodation for those with disabilities or needing transitional support. Homes are built to Lifetime Home standards and include assistive technology to enable independent living. Developments typically offer a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments with on-site care available. This not only supports residents but also helps free up larger homes for families – easing wider housing pressures. 

Community co-design 

Each hub is shaped in partnership with the local community. Regen Partner’s strategic engagement process includes workshops, surveys and regular feedback sessions to ensure developments reflect local priorities. By involving residents, stakeholders and service providers from the start, the model creates places people feel part of – rather than developments imposed from above. This increases local buy-in and long-term sustainability. 

Healthy Living Hub

Development Illustrations

Environmental and social impact 

Hubs are audited against Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. Key sustainability features include: 

• Low-carbon infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings 

• Green spaces and nature enhancement 

• Responsible development, including flood risk mitigation. 

The design approach focuses on character, identity and community. Developments are built to improve quality of life while protecting natural resources. 

Proven outcomes 

Evidence from completed projects and pilots shows strong, measurable impact: 

Financial 

• Cuts reliance on residential care and reduces councils’ social care bills 

• Reduces hours of domiciliary care per resident 

• Transfers eligible costs to Housing Benefit. 

Health and care 

• Fewer hospital admissions and shorter stays 

• Delays or prevents entry into long-term care 

• Supports reablement and independence. 

Housing 

• Helps rightsize the housing market 

• Tenancy sustainment rates over 90% 

• 97% occupancy targets met in year one. 

Social value 

• Reduces loneliness through shared activities and spaces 

• Creates local employment opportunities 

• Offers wider benefits to the surrounding community. 

Performance data includes a 25% drop in hospital admission rates compared to general housing, and a reduction in average care hours per week from 14 (residential care) to 9 (extra care). 

A case for councils 

Every resident in extra care generates estimated annual savings of £10,000-£20,000 through reduced reliance on formal care and hospital services. At the same time, hubs return family homes to circulation, reduce social isolation, create jobs, and deliver sustainable infrastructure. They can move from planning to construction in just 13 months, offering both rapid deployment and long-term resilience. The delivery of extra care saves councils millions in social care costs, while at the same time, minimising risk. 

Looking ahead 

With more than 30 projects under way, Regen Partner is working with councils, the NHS and community organisations to scale the Healthy Living Hub model across the UK. 

Next priorities include:

• Expanding delivery in new regions 

• Partnering with local leisure and wellness providers 

• Extending the Exempt Rent model to fund more wellbeing developments 

• Continuing to measure and publish robust outcomes. 

Healthy Living Hubs demonstrate what happens when housing, care and community are planned together – not as separate services, but as one integrated solution. By integrating housing, social care, and community facilities, and by protecting councils from capital risk, it provides a sustainable and scalable approach that supports residents in living well, helps councils manage costs, and creates long-term social value.