Comment
The Housing Delivery Test: 2020 South East results
The 2020 Housing Delivery Test (HDT) measurement was published yesterday following a delay from its scheduled release in November 2020.
The 2020 measurement is the first year where, following the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) transitional arrangements, the highest threshold will apply for the application of the presumption in favour of sustainable development. For LPAs scoring below 75% in the HDT, the presumption will be triggered for the purposes of NPPF paragraph 11 as identified in Footnote 7.
The below PDF extracts the HDT results for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) within the operating region of our South East team, showing both the results for 2020 and a comparison to those from 2019. A map is also provided to highlight which LPAs have had their HDT consequence improve or worsen in 2020 when compared to their 2019 results. These results will apply to all subsequent decision making until the publication of the next HDT measurement, which is scheduled for November 2021.
Given the unprecedented events of 2020, the HDT methodology has been adapted for the 2020 measurement by reducing the number of ‘homes required’ within the 2019/2020 monitoring year by a month, to take account of the first national lockdown which saw the temporary closure of all construction sites.
It is worth highlighting that some of the LPAs subject to the presumption in our region have already published Annual Monitoring Reports that acknowledge they cannot demonstrate a five year supply of land for housing, and therefore the presumption already applied in any case. Extensive areas within other LPAs would not engage the presumption as a consequence of NPPF paragraph 11 and footnote 6 which seeks to protect certain areas or assets of particular importance such as the Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Please contact Simon Packer or James Cording if you have any queries on the application of the HDT across the region or within a particular LPA.
20 January 2021