Housing Strategy and Provision

Question 1

What is a SHMA?

Answer 1

Strategic Housing Market Assessment. They set out estimates of current and future housing requirements for the local authority area, estimating the number of new homes needed by tenure and type. It also includes detailed analysis of the housing requirements of important sub-groups of the population. Based on statistics and projections produced by Office of National Statistics.

Question 2

What is a SHLAA?

Answer 2

Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. This assessment provides an assessment of the local authority’s capacity for delivering land for housing. An assessment should:
• identify sites and broad locations with potential for development;
• assess their development potential;
• assess their suitability for development and the likelihood of development coming forward (the availability and achievability).
Sufficient land supply should be identified for meeting housing need for the next five years.

Question 3

Where does the London Plan gets its housing numbers from?

Answer 3

The London SHMA 2017 and SHLAA 2017.

Question 4

What does the London SHMA show?

Answer 4

There is a need for 79,000 more homes per annum.

Question 5

What does the London SHLAA show?

Answer 5

It shows that London has capacity to deliver at least 64,935 home per annum until 2028/9

Question 6

What is currently being delivered in regard to housing delivery?

Answer 6

The latest monitoring report showed net completions of only 45,000

Question 7

Why are SHMAs and SHLAAs used?

Answer 7

These are used as evidence to prepare and underpin planning policy contained in local authority Local Plans.

Question 8

How are Local Plans prepared?

Answer 8

1. Collection of evidence base – SHMA and SHLAA
2. Public consultation on options
3. Publish draft plan for consultation
4. Examination in Public
5. If found sound, the Plan will be adopted

Question 9

How are Local Plans examined?

Answer 9

The Local Plan will be examined by an independent inspector whose role is to assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with the Duty to Cooperate, legal and procedural requirements, and whether it is sound. A plan is sound if it is:
• Positively prepared – prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements
• Justified – the plan should be based on proportionate evidence
• Effective – the plan should be deliverable over its period
• Consistent with national policy – the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the NPPF

Question 10

What happens if a local authority doesn’t have a local plan adopted?

Answer 10

The NPPF states that where there is not an up to date Local Plan there will be a default presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Question 11

What happens if a LA has consistently underperformed on delivery of housing?

Answer 11

They are required to have a 20% buffer on their 5 year housing land supply rather than 5%.

Question 12

How do you think recent changes will impact the delivery of affordable housing?

Answer 12

1. Introduction of CIL – may result in pressure on AH delivery as CIL is non negotiable and can reduce the amount of money ‘in the pot’ for affordable housing
2. Social and affordable rent increases to be capped at CPI – 1% a year for the next four years – reduce income for housing associations which may reduce amount available to deliver new affordable housing, also will reduce the viability of new scheme as rents will not increase in line with build costs
3. Right to buy – may deplete stock of affordable housing if not replaced

Question 13

What is an Opportunity Area?

Answer 13

Identified in the London Plan as brownfield areas which have significant capacity for new residential and commercial development, with good existing or planned connectivity to public transport infrastructure. Typically they can accommodate at least 5,000 jobs or 2,500 new homes or a combination of the two, along with other supporting facilities and infrastructure.

Question 14

What is an Intensification Area?

Answer 14

Areas identified in the London Plan as having public transport infrastructure which is capable of supporting higher densities to what already exists.

Question 15

What is a Viability Assessment and why is it required?

Answer 15

The NPPF says that development sites should not be overburdened by planning obligations which jeopardises their viable delivery. Viability Assessments are required where proposals do not comply with levels of planning obligations or affordable housing in adopted policy.

Question 16

Is there any guidance on FVA?

Answer 16

The RICS produce a Financial Viability in Planning guidance note promoting best practice. The GLA also produce guidance.

Question 17

How would you undertake a Viability Assessment?

Answer 17

1. Determine the benchmark land value – EUV plus premium, AUV, Market Value or purchase price paid
2. Calculate the residual land value of the proposed scheme
3. Deduct the benchmark land value from the residual
4. If positive (surplus) use scenario testing to determine the appropriate level of obligations and AH
5. If negative, cannot afford any further obligations or AH
6. Submit to the LA who will appoint an assessor to review it

Question 18

What are the different types of affordable housing?

Answer 18

1. Social rented – owned by LAs or RPs, guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime
2. Affordable rented – let by LAs or RPs to eligible households, subject to rent control requiring a rent of no more than 80% of local market rent
3. Intermediate – homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market values; includes shared ownership, shared equity, discounted market sale and intermediate rent

Question 19

What changes have recently been announced for housing strategy?

Answer 19

The Housing Bill aims to help deliver 1 million homes by 2020:

1. Permanent permitted development right for office to residential conversion and retail to residential.
2. Automatic planning permission in principle on brownfield sites – to build as many homes as possible while protecting the green belt

Question 20

What is the call for sites document?

Answer 20

after being advertised for sites to come forward on their website an issues and options document is published with the site boundary and dwelling potential, then sit allocation document SAD

Question 21

How does the brownfield register work?

Answer 21

Brownfield land registers will provide up-to-date and consistent information on sites that local authorities consider to be appropriate for residential development having regard to the criteria set out in regulation 4 of the Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017. Local planning authorities will be able to trigger a grant of permission in principle for residential development for sites in their registers where they follow the required procedures. Registers will be in two parts, Part 1 will comprise all brownfield sites appropriate for residential development and Part 2 those sites granted permission in principle. Registers should be published locally as open data and will provide transparent information about suitable and available sites.

Question 22

What are very special circumstances?

Answer 22

it is a case by case assessment where the benefits outweigh the consequences

Question 23

What is the five-year housing supply?

Answer 23

a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of housing (and appropriate buffer) against a housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against a local housing need figure, using the standard method, as appropriate in accordance with paragraph 73 of the National Planning Policy Framework.