Guidance

Housing Delivery Test: 2020 measurement

The 2020 Housing Delivery Test measurement by local planning authority and a technical note on the process used in its calculation.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

The Housing Delivery Test 2020 measurement is an annual measurement of housing delivery in the area of relevant plan-making authorities (non-metropolitan districts, metropolitan boroughs, London boroughs and development corporations with plan-making and decision-making powers).

The Housing Delivery Test Rule Book sets out how the measurement is calculated.

Accompanying the measurement is a technical note illustrating the process followed in order to calculate the test measurement.

An authority’s measurement may be recalculated and any policy consequences refreshed if they adopt a new housing requirement between publications of the Housing Delivery Test measurement (as set out in Housing Delivery Test Rule Book). Where this is the case, please contact the relevant authority for their Housing Delivery Test measurement.

The first national lockdown, announced on 23 March 2020, was an unprecedented event which saw temporary disruption to local authority planning services and the construction sector. We have reflected this in this year’s results, and reduced the ‘homes required’ within the 2019 to 2020 year in the Housing Delivery Test by a month. Government interventions have however allowed house building and planning services to operate safely during the pandemic, such as the temporary extension of construction hours and greater flexibility to how the Planning Inspectorate operates appeals. Housing supply figures in 2019 to 2020 have shown the biggest increase in new homes in over 30 years, so we will continue to monitor this in future years.

Published 19 January 2021