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Planning Data Update 2024

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Local plan status

If 2022 saw a slow-down in the planning system, 2023 saw it reach a near-standstill. Only 10 English local planning authorities (LPAs) adopted a new or revised local plan; only two have been adopted since June. By comparison, 27 new plans a year were adopted on average over the previous decade.

Once a plan has been adopted, LPAs are required to update it every five years. At present, only 21% of LPAs have adopted a plan in the last five years. Of those without an up to date plan, 78% are at least in the process of adopting a new plan, though many LPAs have stalled their plan-making process in response to policy changes and uncertainty. Excluding recently merged local authorities, 44 LPAs in need of a new plan have failed to make any progress towards adopting one.

As a result, progress towards compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework has ground to a halt, with one in five LPAs still failing to adopt an NPPF-compliant plan over a decade after the framework’s introduction.



Five year land supply

Nearly half of English local planning authorities lack a proven five-year land supply

Ensuring an adequate supply of land for house-building remains a key issue for many local planning authorities in England. At present, LPAs are required to allocate the equivalent of five years’ worth of land. Without a demonstrable supply, LPAs risk having planning decisions made for them at appeal.

Yet 48% of LPAs lack a five-year land supply either through published figures or by appeal. Excluding newly-merged LPAs yet to calculate their requirements, a full 141 local authorities could not prove a sufficient supply of housing land, up from 116 earlier this year.

The situation is worst in the London, where only 21% of LPAs could prove a robust supply of housing land, followed by 27% in the South East. The best performing region was the East Midlands, where 77% of LPAs had a valid five year supply figure. 

As part of revisions to the NPPF, the Government has proposed removing the requirement to demonstrate a five year land supply if the LPA has an up-to-date local plan. It is possible that this proposed ‘de-emphasis’ on maintaining a continuous supply of housing land has disincentivised LPAs from publishing credible supply figures this year. 

 

 

2022 HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Over 30% of local planning authorities failed to build enough homes to meet their housing need in the three years to March 2022.

The Housing Delivery Test measures three years of net housing delivery within a local authority against a three year target (set either by the relevant Local Plan or by the Standard Method for calculating housing need). Local Authorities that fail to deliver enough homes to pass the test are subject to various measures, up to imposing a presumption in favour of sustainable development.

In the most recent iteration, London was the worst performing region, with over half (52%) of the capital’s local planning boroughs failing to pass. The South East also performed badly. Other regions fared better, but in the North East, South West and East of England, at least one in four local planning authorities still failed to pass.

A key factor in Local Authorities missing their target is the Green Belt. As well as affecting large parts of the South East around London, it also restricts land supply around most cities, including Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester, leading to these areas struggling to meet need. Nutrient neutrality rules, which limit housebuilding in some areas with poor water quality, also have an impact, especially in Kent, Sussex, and the Solent coast, and also in parts of the Tees Valley and the wider North.

The Government recently announced a change to the HDT. In the future, an LPA that fails to reach 85% of their delivery target will only have the additional buffer of 20% added to their requirement if their local plan is out of date.