The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) was introduced by government through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in order to monitor whether a local planning authority is building enough homes to meet its housing requirement over a three-year period.
The HDT measures the number of new homes built over the previous three years against the authority’s housing requirement. Local planning authorities are required to take appropriate actions where certain delivery target thresholds, as set out in the NPPF, are not met. These include the following:
- Where housing delivery falls below 95% of local authority’s housing requirement, local planning authorities should prepare a ‘Housing Action Plan’ that sets out the causes of under delivery and the intended actions to increase housing delivery within its administrative area.
- Where housing delivery falls below 85% of the local authority’s housing requirement, a 20% buffer on the local planning authority’s five-year housing land supply position should be applied.
- Where housing delivery falls below 75% of the local authority’s housing requirement, the NPPFs presumption in favour of sustainable development will apply in decision-taking.
It should be noted that these consequences apply concurrently. For example, if the local planning authority falls below 85% of its housing delivery target, then an ‘Housing Action Plan’ should be produced, as well as the application of a 20% buffer on its five-year housing land supply position.
The HDT consequences set out above will apply the day following the publication of the HDT results, at which point they supersede previously published results.
2022 Housing Delivery Test Measurement
The 2022 HDT results were published by government on 19 December 2023. This stated that Wealden District Council had a 2022 HDT measurement of 78%. The full results can be found on the government’s website.
Whilst the Council has delivered a significant number of new homes in the last year and granted a significant increase in new planning consents, our HDT results has not improved for the 2022 measurement, and we have therefore published an updated Housing Action Plan.
The Council’s current Five-Year Housing Land Supply position as of 1st April 2024 can be found here:
Housing Action Plan
The Housing Action Plan is produced by a local planning authority where delivery is below 95% of their housing requirement. It will identify the reasons for under-delivery, explore ways to reduce the risk of further under-delivery and set out measures the authority intends to take to improve levels of delivery.
The Council’s Housing Action Plan for the 2022 HDT measurement can be found below: