The 2024 Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) provides evidence to help us determine how many and what type of new dwellings are required across Leeds up to 2040.
The National Planning Policy Framework requires that within the context of the overall housing requirement, the size, type and tenure of housing needed for various groups should be assessed and reflected in planning policy, including those requiring affordable housing, older people, students and those wishing to build their own homes.
The council has been working with consultants arc4 and Edge Analytics to undertake a revised SHMA for city-wide housing needs up to 2040 to support the Leeds Local Plan 2040 (LLP2040).
This work has now been completed following the relevant stages set out in national guidance including a survey of over 27,000 households, a stakeholder questionnaire to over 100 organisations and workshops with third sector groups.
The main SHMA outputs relate to:
- overall housing requirement and the government's 'standard method'
- increasing need for affordable housing across the city
- detailed understanding of housing mix (size and type of properties)
- recognition of current and future student accommodation needs
- increasing need for older persons housing particularly extra-care independent living units
- specialist housing for people with additional needs and specific household types
The SHMA will be used by the council to provide the evidence for policy proposals in LLP2040 and to inform the scope of the local plan as well as wider housing strategies.
On 30 July 2024, the government's proposed reforms to the NPPF included an update to the standard method of calculating overall housing need. An update to the SHMA report will be produced to set out the implications of the government's proposed reforms when finalised.
