Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Requirements Study

About This Report:

Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Melton Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council are publishing the Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Requirements Study. The process and methodology of the project has been agreed by all the Local Authorities as satisfactory and had achieved its aim of assembling a robust evidence base for housing requirements to support determining local options for local housing requirements.

The Housing Requirements Study is a technical piece of work which has included the development of various projections for housing requirements taking account of demographic trends and considering how this might relate to alternative scenarios for employment growth. It is intended that this technical work will become part of the extensive evidence base to inform the preparation and review of Local Development Frameworks.

The approach taken is based on interrogating demographic dynamics and assessing the implications of changes in migration and the economy. The different scenarios are based on those set in the original brief, and are:
• Main trend-based demographic projection (PROJ 1)
• Zero net-migration (PROJ 2)
• Zero employment growth (PROJ 3)
• 5% employment growth – 2006 to 2031(PROJ 4)
• 10% employment growth – 2006 to 2031 (PROJ 5)
• Projection linked to past housing delivery (PROJ 6)

All six projections have been run for each local authority area, the Leicester Principal Urban Area, and presented for the whole of Leicester and Leicestershire.

The Report includes a 'Regional Spatial Strategy Synopsis' (this forms a chapter within the final report) which reflects the process that was gone through and the decisions made in determining the amount and distribution of housing across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Local Authorities, in determining their individual housing requirements, will assess the project findings within the context of a wide range of local factors such as: land availability; economic assessments; employment land reviews; infrastructure requirements and delivery; community / stakeholder engagement and consultation.

The emerging National Planning Policy Framework expects that Local Authorities will have a duty to co-operate and work jointly across housing market areas and administrative boundaries in determining their housing requirements.

A further complementary piece of work, designed to assist communities and neighbourhoods in assessing housing requirements at a local level, is underway.

The Study was funded by East Midlands Councils.