Expected rise in child-free homes ‘great opportunity’

Time to rethink type of housing in towns and cities, says expert

A projected increase in child-free households will provide a “great opportunity” for cities and towns across Tayside, according to a leading urban planning expert.

New population estimates released by the National Records for Scotland (NRS) show the number of households across Tayside and Fife with two adults and no children will increase drastically by 2041.

In Perth, there will be around an 18% rise, while Fife can expect 13%, Dundee 10% and Angus 7%

It comes after Dundee was shown to have seen a huge 52% increase in residents embracing urban living according to census data – the most of any Scottish city.

According to Dr Husam Al Waer, a senior lecturer at Dundee University, the new estimates mean urban planners must act now to rethink the type of housing on offer in towns and cities such as Dundee and Perth.

He said: “These projected statistics are quite remarkable.

“We should start preparing for these changes immediately so that we are ready when it becomes a reality.

“An 18% increase in childfree households in Perth and Kinross is pretty incredible.

“It’s a great opportunity. If we look to urban areas in Europe we can see they are embracing the idea of city centre living. They have a lot of young professionals living in flats with many businesses and good transport links.”

He added: “In Scotland, we haven’t really moved away from this idea of living where we always have a garden and a driveway.

“But if there will be this many less children living in homes in the near future then we need to refocus what kind of housing we are providing.”

The NRS statistics also estimate a significant rise in the number of households containing only people aged over 75.

This, said Dr Husam Al Waer, will be a “very big challenge”.

He said: “We will need to improve accessibility within urban areas for elderly people. Housing within cities and towns will need to be suited for people this age. I’m not sure they are ready in the current format.”

In Scotland, we haven’t really moved away from this idea of living where we always have a garden and a driveway