Five-year housing land supply

Background

The December 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires all local planning authorities to identify and annually update a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide a minimum of five years' worth of housing against their housing requirement. This is also known as the five-year housing land supply.

The housing requirement used to determine the five-year supply must be set out in adopted strategic policies, or against their Local Housing Need (LHN, calculated using the standard method) where the strategic policies are more than five years old.

The West Berkshire Core Strategy Development Plan Document (which forms part of the Local Plan), was adopted in 2012, and the housing requirement is being reviewed through the Local Plan Review (LPR). The housing requirement for the five-year period is therefore based on the LHN. Using the government's recently revised standard method, the LHN for West Berkshire is 1,070 homes per year, increased from 495 homes per year under the previous standard method and 515 homes per year under the emerging LPR.

Five year housing land supply position

The council published an updated five-year housing land supply position in February 2025.

Because of the significant increase in the minimum local housing need figure, the Council can currently demonstrate only a 2.6 years' supply of deliverable housing sites, using a five-year housing land supply from 2024/25 to 2028/29 against a five-year housing land supply requirement, plus a 5% buffer. Because the council cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, the presumption in favour of sustainable development as outlined in paragraph 11 of the NPPF is engaged, unless Footnote 7 applies.

However, it is important to note that the NPPF also sets out transitional arrangements in relation to Local Plans that have reached a certain stage in their preparation. This means that the housing requirement within the LPR does not need to be amended. Upon adoption of the LPR, the housing requirement, including for decision-taking / development management purposes, will be 515 dwellings per year. The council anticipates adopting the LPR in May 2025, at which point it expects to be able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. A further update on the council's five-year housing land supply position will be published following the adoption of the LPR.

You can download the housing land supply statement and its appendices below. These have been prepared in accordance with the NPPF and Planning Practice Guidance:

• Housing Land Supply Statement (February 2025) [217KB]
• Appendix 1: Schedule of Sites [1MB]
• Appendix 2: Site Deliverability Forms [2MB]