It was a sad day. Over in Thornbury, it was announced that the police station was to be closed. Police stations, like libraries, post offices and schools, are the centre of our communities.

Without them we have a fractured society, one that - given the growth of the digital era, computers, the Internet - becomes simply a group of people that drift.

So when the details emerged that houses were to be built on the police station land, it came as a mixed blessing. Good housing helps anchor otherwise drifting communities – and it is in demand. South Gloucestershire Council has a five-year housing plan that tries to address local housing needs, including the development of affordable housing.

However, it created some raised eyebrows when it was announced that Churchill Retirement Living is proposing to build 36 sheltered flats on the police site.

The question, it seems, is why retired living accommodation? Why, when families are on waiting lists for decent housing, when many nursing homes are calling in the administrators, why are the council considering more sheltered flats to be built? Why not homes for young people?

The answer is this: we live in an ageing population. Like it or not, wrinkles aside, we are a county that is getting older. National statistics show that in the UK the oldest age groups are the fastest growing age groups, with the number of people over the age of 85 expected to double from 1.4 million to 3.5 million in 25 years. That’s a big figure. In the UK we are lucky.

We have a national health system that, love or loathe it, is keeping us in check. We are living longer, drawing our pensions, living our lives.

But the thing is, as people get older, good accommodation is needed, sheltered accommodation – and this is why the new Churchill proposal in Thorbury is a good idea. My husband’s Nanna lived in sheltered housing for years and it helped her live the amazing life she did.

Of course, there is the argument that families have the greater need. But South Gloucestershire has a robust plan in place that addresses affordable housing.

So we have to face reality. We are getting older. We have to ensure there is enough housing for everyone. And just because you get older, doesn’t mean to say you get forgotten.