Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)

The Government requests all Local Planning Authorities to keep an up to date Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is the process undertaken to identify sites that have the potential for residential development. It is designed to ensure Local Authorities maintain a flexible and responsive supply of housing land as required by Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3). The SHLAA assesses whether sites are suitable for residential development and, if so, when they might come forward for development. It is important to note that the SHLAA does not determine whether housing will be built on any particular site. Although it assesses whether housing might be a suitable use, any decision on a site is a matter for the local planning authority to make by allocating the land in its Local Development Framework and/or by granting planning permission.