The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) was introduced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in 2018 as a way for central government to monitor local authorities and other stakeholders in their role in ensuring new homes are delivered.
The HDT assesses the number of homes built in the City over the previous three years and compares these against nationally set housing requirements (standard methodology). The HDT 2020 results were published by MHCLG in January 2021. Over the three-year period covered by the HDT (2017-20) the Council delivered 1,887 new homes which comprised 80% of the MHCLG target of 2,368 new dwellings for the period.
As such, the Council has proactively prepared a HDT Action Plan (HDTAP). The Council has responded to the challenge of boosting the delivery of new homes by taking a proactive approach to working with developers and landowners to help facilitate delivery on a number of very complex brownfield sites within the geographical confined area of a small ‘island city’. The HDTAP identifies the actions which will be taken to increase and maintain delivery levels.
The latest HDTAP was agreed by the Cabinet Member for Planning Policy & City Development on 26th July 2022.
