Alongside the publication of the Housing Delivery Test results, the Government has published its response to the technical consultation on updates to national planning policy and guidance (October 2018).
As a consequence, updated versions of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and of the ‘Housing and economic needs assessment’ Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) have been issued.
The revised NPPF and PPG have been updated to respond to the September 2018 publication of the 2016-based household projections, which generated lower minimum housing needs figures nationally. Specifically, the Government has confirmed that the 2014-based household projections should be used to provide the demographic baseline for the Standard Method for a limited period of time; over the next 18 months the Government will review the Standard Method formula with the intention of establishing a new approach that could better meet the Government’s aspirations for housing.
Moreover, the Government confirmed that the 2016-based household projections should not be used as a justification for lower housing targets and has amended the ‘Housing and economic needs assessment’ PPG to state this.
The PPG has been updated to re-introduce specific paragraphs on economic need assessments, which were removed in the previous iteration of the PPG following the publication of the revised NPPF in July 2018.
Finally, the proposed clarifications and minor changes to the revised NPPF in relation to footnote 37, paragraph 177 (to improve alignment with the Habitats Regulations), and glossary definitions of “local housing need” and “deliverable” have all been taken forward by the Government. An updated version of the NPPF has been published to reflect these clarifications and minor amendments.
MHCLG, Government response to the technical consultation on updates to national planning policy and guidanceMHCLG,
Image & Text Source: Litchfields
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