Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) and Employment Land Review (ELR)

The Council would like to invite suitably experienced and qualified consultants to undertake an update to the Housing Needs and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) and Employment Land Review (ELR) for the Borough in accordance with the latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and associated Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This will form an integral part of the evidence base used to underpin new housing-and employment related policies in the new Local Plan.

The Borough Council has been preparing a local plan since 2021. The emerging Local Plan (2020-2040) has been examined and is soon to be considered for adoption.

The transitional provisions of the December 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (“NPPF”) (paragraphs 234b & 236 respectively) for Local Plan making, allowed the examination of the Plan to take place using a previous version of the NPPF (the 2023 Framework). In the December 2024 NPPF, the government introduced a new method for calculating local housing need.

This increased the housing need figure for the Borough to 551 dwellings per annum (at the time of writing) compared with the emerging Local Plan requirement for 400 dwellings per annum. The Council is required to start an update to the Local Plan from the summer of 2026 and this study will form a key part of the evidence base for the new Local Plan.