Technical Evidence

SHLAA, SHMA and UCS

As of 1st April 2007, Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are required to assess and demonstrate a continuous five-year supply of deliverable land for housing to meet housing delivery targets. 

The identification of the supply is to be achieved through the publication of a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) in which the capacity and deliverability of potential sites are identified and assessed.  In particular, it requires LPA’s to identify sites for the first five years of the plan that are deliverable (those deemed to be suitable, available and achievable), and to identify sites for the following ten years which are developable (those deemed to be suitable and available).  Where insufficient sites can be identified in the five to fifteen year supply, the LPAs are required to indicate broad locations for future growth, thus providing information on the opportunities that exist to meet the housing target. 

Prior to the creation of SHLAAs, housing capacity was reviewed through the Urban Capacity Study (UCS).  The first SHLAA is due for publication at the end of March 2009 to support the delivery of the Core Strategy Preferred Options.  Information from historic UCSs has been incorporated within the latest SHLAA.

While the SHLAA identifies the capacity of an area to accommodate housing, we must also understand the housing need that policy must attend to.  The Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) provides essential evidence on the housing need of local populations. 

The emerging SHMA considers a Luton and Bedfordshire sub-region, breaking this down further into sub-markets based on areas with similar housing trends.  Population forecasts are then processed through a model that includes consideration of households currently in unsuitable housing, income, house prices, current stock and right-to-buy trends.

The SHMA is expected to be published in April 2009.