Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments

National planning guidance (Planning Policy Statement 3) emphasises the importance of having an up-to-date Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) in place, as a key piece of evidence for Local Development Frameworks, and to support positive planning for housing delivery. The information Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments provide is important evidence for the Regional Spatial Strategy.

In November 2007 the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly commissioned Arup to undertake a project on SHLAAs in the Region. The first part of the project consisted of meetings with every local authority in the Region to review progress and to draw out key issues and best practice where assessments had already started.

Following the local authority meetings and discussions with the project steering group (meeting notes from this steering group can be downloaded below) Arup have prepared a regional practice guide for undertaking SHLAAs.

The guide adds value to national guidance and seeks to ensure that a consistent approach is taken to completing SHLAAs across the Region. The guide provides useful advice on issues such as stakeholder engagement, dealing with windfall sites, timescales and phasing and assessing sites. A copy of the guide can be downloaded below.

Where local authorities have already completed a SHLAA, the information it provides will form part of the evidence base for the Yorkshire and Humber Plan (the Regional Spatial Strategy). Where local authorities are in the process of undertaking their SHLAA we will encourage timely process and continue to engage in working groups, providing comments and advice on methodologies and seeking to ensure consistency across the Region.

For more information please contact Harriet Fisher: harriet.fisher@yhassembly.gov.uk