Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
Purpose
As part of a government-led programme, all Councils are being asked to assess the amount of land available for housing development and produce a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). This Assessment will provide the evidence base to support the delivery of sufficient land to meet the community’s need for more homes by ensuring the managed delivery of sufficient land for housing. The Assessment is being carried out in accordance with current Government Guidance.
This guidance recommends that Assessments be completed for whole Housing Market Areas (HMA); therefore all of the councils in the Bournemouth and Poole HMA (Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset, Poole and Purbeck Councils), and Dorset County Council, have agreed to work together to produce an HMA-wide Assessment.
The methodology used for the assessment is largely prescribed by government but has been refined locally, having been advised by a panel of representatives, who met and endorsed the methodology in December 2007. A copy of the methodology is available by clicking on the link to the right; hard copies are also available from any of the participating council’s offices, or by contacting one of the planning officers undertaking the Assessment (see ‘Contacts List’, right). If you would like to comment on the methodology please email a.neil@poole.gov.uk before 31st January 2008.
The primary role of the Assessment is to:
- Identify sites with the potential for housing
- Assess their housing potential
- Assess when they are likely to be developed,
Submission of Sites
In order to comprehensively assess all land that may have potential for housing development the councils involved are asking anyone with land that they believe may be suitable for housing, and which would be anticipated to be brought forward in the short (1-5 years) and medium-term (6-15 years), to submit details to the relevant council, i.e. that which the site is located within.
To be included in the study, sites must be within or adjacent to the settlements set out in Appendix D of the methodology (see ‘Appendix D’, right), although an exceptional case will be made to sites submitted solely for affordable housing to meet a locally identified need (rural exception sites).
In order to submit a new site both a form (Form SHLAA2) and site map must be completed and submitted to the relevant council. Maps can be made available by contacting the relevant authority (and for sites in North Dorset, site maps can be downloaded from NordMap)
A separate form should be completed for each site. It is generally anticipated that forms and their accompanying site maps will be returned by post to the relevant council. However, where people have the ability to send site maps electronically, responses can be emailed to shlaa@dorsetcc.gov.uk.
The identification of suitable land for housing is ongoing, however, for sites to be included in the first SHLAA Report, completed forms with site maps should be returned to the relevant planning authority by 31st January 2008.
Assessment of Sites
Sites will be assessed against a number of criteria as set out in Assessment Matrix (Appendix H of the Methodology). This assesses whether a site is suitable, available and achievable. The Panel will assess a sample of these sites in order to confirm that the Assessment is being undertaken appropriately.
Reporting
Following the assessment of sites, a single report will be produced for each council within the Bournemouth & Poole Housing Market Area, with an HMA-wide report likely to be completed in Summer 2008. This report will be a technical document only, forming part of the evidence base to inform the development of Local Development Documents and the managed release of suitable land for housing. Each council will undertake full consultation on the future allocation of land for housing, in addition to this SHLAA work.
Urban Capacity Study
The Assessment as set out above will replace the Urban Potential Studies which were prepared for each council in Dorset. These Reports are available on each council’s website. North Dorset’s 2005 study is available on this page (see ‘Urban Potential Study’, right)
If you have any questions or wish to contact the council on this, please telephone 01258 484214 or email SHLAA@north-dorset.gov.uk
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