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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The research provides an assessment of current practice in respect of preparing and publishing Housing Land Audits ( HLA) in Scotland, and concludes by making a number of recommendations which seek to improve the consistency and accuracy of the auditing process.
As the established mechanism for monitoring housing land, the HLA has a key role in ensuring that an adequate supply of housing to meet requirements is maintained. SPP3 requires that the HLA be undertaken annually, with the close involvement of private house-builders and other providers.
The main purpose of the research is to establish best practice for HLA preparation and presentation, by:
- Improving predictive accuracy.
- Improving presentation and accessibility.
- Providing common information across Scotland to allow consistent monitoring at national level.
The research methods employed to achieve this aim included:
- Baseline information was collated on all HLAs, including period for review, outline methodology, timeframe for production, web access and approach to consultations.
- Contact was made with every local authority / HLA team to clarify and confirm key data and thereby provide a concise overview on Audit preparation across Scotland.
- Interviews with selected HLA teams and Homes for Scotland obtained more detailed information and their views on the process.
- Other stakeholders were consulted (e.g. Scottish Water) to establish how they viewed their current and future roles.
The principal stakeholders agree that HLAs serve an important function and that the fundamental aspects of the methodology for preparation described in PAN38 are appropriate. However, there exists a general consensus that various aspects of preparation and presentation could be improved.
From an analysis of HLAs produced in 2001 there is evidence that there is a tendency to over-estimate housing completions arising from the effective land supply. The main reasons for this include:
- Delays to anticipated start dates for development.
- Over-optimistic programming of yearly completions.
- Sites which are categorised as effective, in fact being subject to constraints.
Stakeholders generally agree that the PAN 38 effectiveness criteria are appropriate. However, there are differences of opinion on the interpretation of these criteria, which can lead to disputes on HLA content.
Almost all HLAs take more than 6 months to review and finalise, and some considerably longer. It is generally accepted by stakeholders that the process could be completed within 6 months.
Councils and house-builders agree that infrastructure providers should be more involved in HLA preparation to ensure that housing programme predictions are better linked to infrastructure availability.
Major differences in the recording of the supply of affordable housing exist.
The Stirling HLA is one of the most comprehensive in terms of content and has the most accessible format.
Arising from the research, 16 recommendations are made:
- Establish a best practice working group on HLA preparation and presentation.
- Adopt a common content and presentation format for all HLAs.
- Adopt a common 'snapshot' base date for all HLAs.
- All HLA updates are to be completed within 6 months.
- Individual house-builders/landowners should be given more responsibility to provide comprehensive base data directly to Councils.
- The Scottish Government to give consideration to reviewing the definition of 'effective housing land supply'.
- Issue national guidance advising on factors requiring more rigorous assessment in respect of determining site effectiveness and programming.
- Windfall sites should only to be identified in HLAs as effective when planning permission has been granted.
- All HLAs to identify future programming of individual sites for at least a 7 year period.
- Issue national guidance encouraging greater involvement by infrastructure providers in the HLA process.
- All HLAs to include small sites in the established supply (in summary tables if appropriate), these being defined as sites of less than 5 units. The assumed percentage contribution of small sites to the effective supply may vary, however, subject to agreements reached in individual HLA areas.
- Affordable housing should be distinguished from private market housing in HLAs. As far as possible, affordable housing should be categorised by the different forms of provision defined in PAN74.
- As far as possible, all HLAs to distinguish between house-types, particularly houses and flats. Further consideration should be given to providing more refined information on a consistent basis between HLAs (e.g. number of apartments).
- All HLAs should identify site development constraints and the necessary actions and timescales for their removal. For monitoring purposes, consistent nomenclature to describe constraints should be used (e.g. access, drainage, ground conditions).
- All HLAs to be made available online.
- Councils should prepare an audit of past housing supply performance in similar format to the HLA.
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