United Trust Bank’s most recent sentiment poll asked 130 brokers in the property finance industry for the three residential development sectors they believed had the most potential for growth.

The survey results revealed that the FTB sector gained the most votes, followed by the family and retirement sectors (joint second).

Although FTB and family also topped United Trust Bank’s poll in 2012 (see below), luxury family and flats have shifted down the list since then, while retirement and eco-friendly housing have moved in the opposite direction.

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Noel Meredith, executive director at United Trust Bank (pictured above), said: “We shouldn’t be too surprised to see that, according to brokers, the FTB and family home sectors still offer the most potential for short-term growth.

“What is interesting is how attitudes appear to have changed towards homes for older buyers.

“Housing isn’t the only industry or service which recognises that the UK has an ageing population.

“Just as the NHS must adapt and evolve, housebuilders are also seeing the opportunities to build homes for older, but increasingly affluent buyers who wish to live independently for as long as possible, but nonetheless benefit from living in homes designed with their needs in mind.

“Interest in a greener way of living, which has continued to gain momentum over the last decade, also appears to offer developers an opportunity to build homes for what was once a niche market, but is becoming increasingly mainstream.”