Monitoring information

NEW Four-Year Housing Land Supply Position

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council updates its housing land supply information annually. The most recent data shows the council's position as at 1 April 2023 for a four-year period to 31 March 2027. In previous years, housing land supply has been calculated on the basis of a five-year land supply in accordance with previous national policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). However, in December 2023, a new NPPF was published with the result being that the council is required to calculate only a four rather than a five-year housing land supply figure.

The Five-Year Housing Land Supply Statement 2022/2023 (based upon the previous five-year supply requirement) below explains in detail the approach taken by the council in producing the latest statement, including an explanation on both how the target has been calculated and all components that have contributed to the borough's housing land supply.

The council has calculated its housing figures using the ‘Standard Method’ which uses the 2014 Household Projections to calculate housing targets. Given that the council is partly through its emerging plan period (2020-2038), the council has had regard to any shortfall, or surplus, in delivery during the 2020-2023 period. The housing target has also been updated from previous iterations of the Statement to reflect the Standard Method calculation from 1 April 2023.

The council’s current published position (October 2023), based on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in September 2023, identifies a housing land supply of 4.29 years. This position is inclusive of a 5% buffer as previously required in the national planning guidance at the time.

However, as identified above, the NPPF was updated in December 2023. Paragraphs 77 and 226 of the NPPF make it clear that Local Planning Authorities will only be required to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide a minimum of four years’ worth of housing against local housing need (where adopted housing requirements are out-of-date) where the Local Planning Authority has an emerging Local Plan that has been submitted for examination or has reached Regulation 18 or 19 stage. Given that the council’s emerging Local Plan is currently subject to examination, the council is only required to demonstrate a four-year supply. Moreover, the 5% buffer to the four and five-year target requirements is no longer applicable, and given the council’s latest Housing Delivery Test result of 96%, no other buffer should be applied.

The council received clarification from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) on 5 February 2024 that the four-year supply requirement will be based on the performance against 5-year housing land supply, and not an alternative calculation. This has also been updated in the Planning Practice Guidance. Given this clarification, the council can confirm the following:

• The required four-year supply requirement calculated against a five-year supply (and no 5% buffer) results in a supply position of 4.50 years as at 1 April 2023. This position takes account of the shortfall in housing supply between 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2023.

The next statement covering the council’s position as at 1 April 2024 will also have regard to any changes introduced to national planning policy and guidance, as well as the status of the emerging (Submission) Local Plan.

Please contact planning.policy@tunbridgewells.gov.uk with any related queries.

Housing Delivery Test

The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) has been introduced as a monitoring instrument to demonstrate whether local authorities are delivering sufficient homes to meet their housing need. The HDT, which was introduced in November 2018, compares the number of new homes delivered over the previous three years with the authority’s housing requirement for those years.

The latest HDT results were published in January 2022 and the council delivered 97% against the requirement, which means no consequence for the council. However, the council intends to continue producing an Action Plan on an annual basis.

You can view the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan 2019/20, published in September 2021, below.

Five-Year Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Supply

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has produced a Five-Year Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Supply Statement. The most recent data shows the council's position as at 1 April 2023 for a five-year period to 31 March 2028.

The Five-Year Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Supply Statement below explains in detail the approach taken by the council in producing the latest statement, including an explanation on how both the need and supply has been calculated.

The council has identified that it can currently demonstrate a Gypsy and Traveller pitch supply of 5.8 years. The council therefore confirms that it has a five-year supply of Gypsy and Traveller pitches within the borough as at 1 April 2023.

The next statement covering the period 2024 to 2029 will have regard to any changes introduced to national planning policy and guidance, as well as the status of the new Local Plan.

Local Plan - Authority Monitoring Report

The council has published an Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) in relation to Local Plan matters. It monitors key contextual indicators in relation to the demographic, social, economic and environmental characteristics of the borough and reviews progress against key indicators relevant to adopted generic Core Strategy (2010) policies. It also includes analysis of progress in the production of the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Development Plans in the borough. In addition, it specifically reviews progress under the ‘duty to cooperate’ on strategic planning matters.

Taken together, this monitoring provides vital information about the effectiveness of Core Strategy policies and the extent to which they are successful in achieving the council’s strategic aims for the borough, as well as helping to inform policy directions in the new Local Plan.

The AMR, in conjunction with the council’s Housing Monitoring Reports, fulfils the council’s obligation to produce an AMR containing the above information at least annually and to make it publicly available. It relates to the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, as it coincides with the statistical monitoring period, although in some cases commentary is added relating to more recent events where this is considered to be helpful.

Please contact planning.policy@tunbridgewells.gov.uk with any related queries.