Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)

What is a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)?

The SHLAA has been carried out to assess how much land in the borough is potentially available for development and reflects advice from the Government in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and includes information on sites suggested to the Council. The SHLAA also includes details of whether a five year supply of housing land is available within the borough taking account of the guidance in the NPPF

The Council publishes its SHLAA in two parts. The first covering the assessment of five year housing land supply and the second listing all the sites suggested for development.

The Council published the first part (assessing five year supplies of housing land at April 2012 and April 2013 in May 2012. This information will be updated once the Council has agreed its Managing Development Delivery document. The second part relating to sites suggested currently provides an assessment based upon 1 April 2011 and an update of this will also be published once the Council has agreed its Managing Development Delivery document. 

Which sites will be considered for development?

Although all potential sites suggested for development will be examined as part of the SHLAA, only those sites that conform with planning policy will be assessed as being 'available' and 'deliverable'. If there isn't enough 'deliverable' land available, the SHLAA may reveal other options available to the Council for addressing any shortfalls. However, it is within the Managing Development Delivery that additional sites will be identified if there is a shortfall. This is because production of the Managing Development Delivery is the only way to amend planning policy in the borough.

How will sites be assessed?

The suitability of sites for development will also be assessed against a range of criteria including the findings of a Sustainability Appraisal, Strategic Environmental Assessment and an Appropriate Assessment.

The Council has consulted upon a draft method for undertaking the SHLAA. Copies of the complete SHLAA from  2008 to 2011 are available below and the update associated with housing and supply at April 2012 is available on the top right hand side of this page.