...can you? Even owning a home doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to live comfortably in one place for 3 decades. Median homeownership is usually shorter than 15 years[1]. (Per 2009* - more recent numbers that I've seen indicate that number is decreasing, not going up, but those are usually based on more short-term studies, post 2008.)
And renovations aren't exactly something homeowners are comfortable with, even if they technically can do it.
Source: I work for a homebuilder who aims to sell multiple homes to each customer (from first-time, to trade-up, to retirement.) If the median homeownership-length went up to 30 years, we'd have to reevaluate our entire business model.
[1] https://nahbclassic.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=194717
It would be completely within my control (excepting the extremely rare case of eminent domain being applied if the UK wanted to build a railway station or something).
What the median or mean or modal person does is neither here nor there. It's completely irrelevant.
15 years is also a colossal period of time compared to any private rental. The average tenancy length in the UK is about 2-3 years.
All of this isn't even to consider the fact that most homeowners don't literally "own" their home in that timespan, as 30-year mortgages are very common. A lot of people buy homes because mortgage payments are oftentimes cheaper than rent payments (there are exceptions, obviously.)
Would you feel comfortable installing a new kitchen or bathroom?