New approach for local housing needs

The right homes in the right places: The long awaited DCLG consultation could mean the end of tedious debates on housing need at examinations and appeals, but it also raises new questions.

In its March 2016 report, the Local Plans Expert Group (LPEG) identified uncertainty over estimates of Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) as a key barrier to effective local plan preparation and recommended that Government tighten up the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) to provide a more definitive approach. The Housing White Paper (HWP) in February 2017 suggested that some Councils “duck difficult decisions” and confirmed that the Government would bring forward a standard methodology for an “honest assessment” of housing need. This is set out in the consultation document which also includes measures on the duty to cooperate, namely “Statements of Common Ground” to apportion needs across local authority areas, as well as covering neighbourhood planning, viability assessments and planning fees.