HDT 2022 measurement results delayed? - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Hi Andy

There was some discussion in the recent Gov planning reforms consultation about whether they might suspend the HDT for this year and/or next year, tho no announcements have been made either way.  Personally, I don't see that this year's result, which covers delivery in the 3-year period 2019-2022 should be affected, so not sure whay they might see a need to suspend that one, whereas next year's result for 2020-2023 could potentially be affected by changes in their methodology, etc arising from the consultation.

Regards

Andrea

I'd speculate that DLUHC are contemplating the responses to the Draft NPPF consultation, questions 18-21. 

Para 23. It remains our intention to publish the 2022 Housing Delivery Test results. However, given our proposed changes and consultation on the workings of the Housing Delivery Test, we would like to receive views on whether the test’s consequences should follow from the publication of the 2022 Test or if they should be amended, suspended until the publication of the 2023 Housing Delivery Test, or frozen to reflect the 2021 Housing Delivery Test results while work continues on our proposals to improve it. We will take a decision on the approach to the Housing Delivery Test and the implementation of any the proposed changes in due course, once we have analysed consultation responses.

Not seen any other announcements on the topic.

I think the fact that the Government now recognises in the NPPF reforms consultation that the HDT penalises LPA's unfairly  "The government wants to apply the HDT in a way which does not penalise local planning authorities unfairly when slow delivery results from developer behaviour"  essentially means that they consider the test to be unfair without an assessment of the LPA's role. ( I agree)  I suspect that Government realises that publishing the HDT 2022 results and applying the consequences to LPA's after reaching the conclusion that the test is unfair is an untenable position!

And what does any of this mean for interpretation and application of the HDT results in the NPPF?

Annex 1 says "222. The Housing Delivery Test will apply the day following publication of the results, at which point they supersede previously published results. Until new Housing Delivery Test results are published, the previously published result should be used."

Which is fine, but when para 11  footnote 8 refers to 'the previous three years' what does that mean when you only have results for 2/3 of those years? Similar problem with para 14 and 76?

And for a final chuckle, as others say, we expect the HDT in Feb but this contradicts the NPPF itself which says:

"The Secretary of State will publish the Housing Delivery Test results for each local authority in England every November."

Just noticed that the track change version of NPPF suggests publication of HDT results will move from November to "Winter"!

GIven we are now hearing that the NPPF changes are due  "in due course" rather than "Spring" I think we can expect further delay while they resolve a number of significant problems. 

A couple off the top of my head...firstly how to ensure their plans will not actually slow housing and stop local plan development... and more importantly how on earth to come up with a workable method of balancing the supply against completions.  The guidance needs to be absolutely clear how HDT calculations should be done.

I suspect that penalising authorities just before local elections was felt to be a step too far, especially as government clearly feels the existing completions only HDT method is flawed, which of course it always has been.