Note from St Albans District Council

An independent assessment of local housing needs has been published today on St Albans City and District council’s website.

In January 2013, the Council’s Cabinet decided to commission studies to inform the evidence base for the forthcoming Strategic Local Plan.  

This decision was in response to a motion from full Council on 28 November 2012.  Among other items, the motion required that “an independent commission of housing need in St Albans and its District should be set up to inform the evidence base.”

The resulting independent report, prepared by Housing Vision Ltd, has just been made available to the Council and published on our website.  Councillors have not yet had an opportunity to consider the report’s content.  

The report seeks to provide an objective assessment for St Albans District’s need for market and affordable housing.  Its content will form part of the evidence base for the forthcoming Strategic Local Plan. It does not, however, represent the Council’s view on future housing needs, nor determine a housing target for the District. 

The National Planning Policy Framework states that “local planning authorities should use their evidence base to ensure that their Local Plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing in the housing market area, as far as is consistent with the policies set out in this Framework”.

Any subsequent housing target would need to take account of local constraints, such as the Green Belt.

Housing Vision Ltd will present their report to the Council’s Planning Policy Committee on Friday 29 November, beginning at 6pm.  The Committee is just receiving the report at this stage and will be considering the content, along with other reports, in the new year.