The Evidence Base - LDF Studies and Research

One of the challenges that the Council will have to deal with through its Local Development Framework (LDF) is how to accommodate the new housing that is required in the area. The South East Plan (2009) requires that Waverley makes provision for at least 5,000 new homes in the period 2006-2026.

However, the Government intends to abolish the South East Plan and its associated housing target, through the Localism Bill, and this will allow the Council to decide how many homes to plan for. The role of the SHLAA is to identify potential housing sites as evidence to help the Council make decisions about the location of housing in its Core Strategy and Site Allocations Development Plan Documents (DPD). 

The SHLAA does not decide where housing should be located nor decide what specific housing sites should be allocated in the LDF to meet the housing target.  The fact that a site has been mentioned in the SHLAA does not mean that it will be allocated in the LDF or that it will be granted planning permission.  Before using the SHLAA it is important that the disclaimer at the beginning of the document is read.

More information on the SHLAAs we have published to date is available below (in order of base date):

1. The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (base date 1st April 2008)

The SHLAA was carried out by Baker Associates in two stages and assesses the suitability, availability, and achievability of potential housing sites. 

Stage 1: Identifying sites within settlements

This stage identified sites that could potentially deliver a net of six or more new dwellings within the four main settlements of Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere and those settlements that are defined as rural settlements under Policy RD1 of the adopted Waverley Borough Local Plan 2002. The sites that have been assessed have come forward from a number of different sources.  These include adopted local plan allocations, sites identified in the previous urban housing potential study, pre-application discussions and sites where a planning application for housing was considered acceptable in principle but refused on detail.

Stage 2: Identifying sites outside settlements

This stage identified potential housing sites within areas adjacent to the four main settlements of Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere and the five most sustainable rural settlements in terms of a range of services and facilities: Bramley, Chiddingfold, Elstead, Milford and Witley.  The sites came forward as a result of inviting landowners and others if they had potential sites available.  Only sites adjacent to settlement boundaries and larger than .25 ha were considered.

This stage also specifically assessed four major brownfield sites outside settlements: Dunsfold Aerodrome, Milford Hospital, Shackleford Mushroom Farm and Weyburn Works/Tanshire Park, Elstead.

The Base Date for the SHLAA is the 1 April 2008.

Download the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (1 April 2008) now>>

2. The Waverley Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (base date 1st April 2010)

This updates the SHLAA to 1st April 2010 by focussing on identifying sites within the four main settlements and the rural settlements, defined under Policy RD1 of the adopted Waverley Borough Local Plan 2002. However, the update of the SHLAA now identifies sites that could potentially deliver a net of five new dwellings (rather than six net new dwellings in the previous SHLAA). The update also specifically assesses the three remaining available major brownfield sites outside settlements that were assessed in the previous SHLAA: Weyburn Works/Tanshire Park, Dunsfold Park and Milford Hospital.

The SHLAA does not assess greenfield sites outside settlements. Any assessment of potential for housing from broad locations outside settlements should be taken from the first SHLAA (base date 1 April 2008). 

The Base Date for the Waverley SHLAA is 1 April 2010.

Download the Waverley Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (1 April 2010)

The Council sent a copy of the draft methodology to 40 agents/developers/landowners and the Home Builders Federation in July 2010 and the CPRE Surrey in September 2010.

View the Council's response to comments made on the draft methodology

3. The Waverley Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (base date 1st April 2011)

This is the latest published update of the SHLAA with a base date of 1 April 2011. This uses the same methodology as the previous SHLAA (April 2010), but also includes an assessment of the potential for housing of the existing employment sites originally assessed in the Employment Land Review.

The SHLAA does not assess greenfield sites outside settlements. Any assessment of potential for housing from broad locations outside settlements should be taken from the first SHLAA (base date 1 April 2008).

Download the Waverley Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (1 April 2011)

We have now started the next update of the SHLAA to a base date of 1 April 2012. The first stage was a call for housing sites which took place in March/April 2012. Please click on the link below for more information on the next update.

More information on the next update to the SHLAA

Further Information

If you have any queries or wish to find out more about the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment please contact us using the details below.

Page owner: Anna Ludford. Last updated: 30/04/2012 15:56