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Written question asked by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026. It was answered by Matthew Pennycook (Labour) on Thursday, 23 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Planning Authorities: Housing

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local planning authorities which will meet the housing requirements generated by the revised standard method; what estimate he has made of the number of authorities which will meet the Housing Delivery Test or five-year housing land supply requirements; and whether he has assessed the impact this would have on the number of speculative planning applications determined under the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Answer

The standard method identifies a minimum annual housing need figure and ensures that plan-making is informed by an unconstrained assessment of the number of homes needed in an area. It does not produce a housing requirement figure. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then make an assessment of the amount of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development and any other relevant matters.

Local planning authorities with up-to-date plans are assessed against their adopted plan housing requirement for the purposes of the Housing Delivery Test (HDT) and five-year housing land supply (5YHLS). Where an authority does not have an up-to-date plan, local housing need (calculated using the standard method) is used.

The current HDT results are the 2023 measurement, published on 12 December 2024. These results continue to apply until a subsequent Housing Delivery Test measurement is published. We remain committed to publishing the 2024 and 2025 HDT results as soon as possible. The Department does not formally collect 5YHLS data. The 5YHLS position of any given authority is often in flux and typically determined through planning appeals. As such, there are challenges in capturing comprehensive and robust data at any given time.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the revised standard method published on 12 December 2024 on the number of speculative planning applications determined under the presumption in favour of sustainable development. While failing against either HDT or 5YHLS is a strong indicator of housing need in an area not being sufficiently met, it does not mean that planning permission for housing will be automatically granted, and local planning authorities must consider a range of factors when determining planning applications.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18619
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Construction Housing Local government Sustainable development
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk