Is the national shortage of bungalows stopping couples from downsizing?

I AGREE that the over-65s are being boxed in by a bungalow shortage (Mail). My wife and I have been on the search for a future-proof home. We’d like to live on one level instead of in our threestorey, four-bedroom house that’s too expensive to heat. But bungalows haven’t been built in our area since the Eighties. We live between Oxford and Milton Keynes where large new developments are being constructed, but none of the plans include bungalows. Developers say they can make far more profit from building two houses on a plot instead of one bungalow. I’ve heard about a huge new housing estate in Warwickshire with a waiting list of 50 people for the six bungalows that will be built. Planners should insist that 10 per cent of new homes are affordable bungalows. P. WICKHAM, Buckingham.

DURING the Sixties thousands of bungalows were built, and you would expect that as their occupants pass on, more elderly people could move in, continuing the cycle. the problem lies with the permitted development legislation, which means councils have no say in stopping twobedroom bungalows being extended into two-storey houses. Owners are extending to the rear, sides and into the roof, often with no architectural consideration. their only aim is to achieve maximum space, and if that means bolting a flat-roofed cube onto the bungalow, so be it. they then pave over the garden to accommodate their numerous cars. they are not only destroying the look of neighbourhoods, but are denying older people the opportunity to downsize.

K. WELLS, Maidstone, kent.

DEVELOPERS are trashing the countryside to build closely packed two and three-storey houses while ignoring the fact that many disabled and elderly people want a home without stairs. To say bungalows are not land-efficient is ignoring the needs of many people. Let’s have some common sense on this matter.

JIM TRICKETT, Pontefract, W. Yorks.

MY MOTHER’S sheltered accommodation between Chichester and Arundel has stood empty since her death in 2014. though a highly desirable property — the development won a Daily Mail award when it opened — I have found it impossible to sell, despite being willing to virtually halve the price she paid. the reason? there is a glut of properties on the market in the area that are suitable for downsizers. the estate agent has told me that of more than 30 on his books, just two are under offer.

ANDREW HOGG, Chichester, W. Sussex.