The government’s proposal for a new methodology to assess housing need will fail to deliver a mix of housing tenures and types, planners have warned.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) said the application of the methodology should look beyond ONS statistics and instead take into account a council’s economic growth strategy, employment projections, and any housing devolution deals.
In its consultation on the proposal, the RTPI stated: ‘The methodology does nothing to address the tendency to base housing growth on past trends, rather than on a more forward-looking strategy which takes into consideration future growth aspirations or employment projections.’
The organisation also said there should be more guidance to help local authorities determine the the right mix of homes at an early stage.
Harry Burchill, RTPI policy officer, said: 'The RTPI sees the benefit of a better way to identify local housing need using a clear and justified method, but the current proposals need work. There is not one housing crisis but many, each with different variants.'
