Method for Calculating Housing Need Largely Unchanged - Except for 20 Cities

On 16th December 2020 the Government published their response to the August 2020 consultation on revising the Standard Method for calculating housing need numbers (amongst other issues).

In response to representations, the Government have decided to retain the standard method in its current form. However, a 35% uplift to the post-cap number generated by the Standard Method to Greater London and to the local authorities which contain the largest proportion of 19 of the most populated cities and urban centres in England will be applied.

As of the date of the Government response, these places include Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. Other cities are: London, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester, Bradford, Nottingham, Kingston upon Hull, Newcastle upon Tyne, Stoke-on-Trent, Southampton, Plymouth, Derby, Reading, and Brighton and Hove.

Transitional arrangements have been introduced for those cities and urban centres affected by the cities and urban centres uplift.

The Standard Method is important not only in plan-making, but also in determining whether an area has an identified 5-year housing land supply for the purposes of the Housing Delivery Test.

For further details, please contact our Planning Policy Team.