Figures from the National House Building Council said that more of these properties were built in the first six months of 2015 than the whole of last year.

Builders registered a total of 2,337 properties specifically designed for the elderly between January and June. This compares to the 1,919 registered in 2014.

Across all property types, more than 41,000 new homes were registered in the UK during the last three months – an increase of 12% compared to a year ago.

This increase was largely down to northern regions undergoing a house building boom. In the North West and Merseyside, the number of new properties registered had increased by 74%.

By contrast, the number of new properties registered in London was 2% lower than last year.

Public sector registrations were 13% higher than a year ago, the trade body reported. The number of affordable homes registered in the last three months was 10,806, higher than the 9,598 found a year ago.

National House Building Council chief executive Mike Quinton said builders were now doing more to provide specialist properties.

“We are very encouraged to see an increase in the number of retirement homes being registered. It is widely acknowledged that the UK has a shortage of homes for the elderly, which is having a knock on effect on the rest of the housing market.

“Our figures show that 2015 is shaping up to be an encouraging year for new housing growth with new housing registrations up 12% on the second quarter of last year.

“However, we have made clear that while all signs of growth are to be welcomed, the UK is still building way below the volumes of homes that we need. There is a long way to go before our housing crisis is over.”