Housing Delivery Test

In 2017, the Government set out proposals in the Housing White Paper, "Fixing our broken housing market" to reform the planning system with the intention of delivering more housing, improving housing affordability and removing barriers to development. As part of these reforms it proposed a new Housing Delivery Test (HDT) as a monitoring tool to demonstrate whether local areas are building enough homes to meet their housing need. It was formally introduced in paragraph 75 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in July 2018 and updated in February 2019.

It is designed to ensure that local authorities and wider interests are held accountable for their role in ensuring new homes are delivered in their area. The HDT measures net additional dwellings provided in a local authority area against the homes required, with the method for calculating the figure for the HDT being set out in the Housing Delivery Test measurement rule book. Local planning authorities that fail to meet delivery rate targets are required to take appropriate action to address under delivery.

In January 2021, the Government published the 2020 HDT results. Basildon Borough Council's delivery rate was reported at 45%, and has subsequently been corrected to 40%, against the number of homes required, based on the number of homes delivered in the borough over the 3 year period between 2017 and 2020.

The results require Basildon Borough Council to prepare an `action plan' aimed at further boosting the delivery of housing.

Housing Delivery Test Action Plans

Basildon Council - Housing Delivery Test Action Plan June 2023 (PDF) [757KB]

Previous plan

Basildon Council - Housing Delivery Test Action Plan - July 2021 (PDF) [388KB] (opens new window)

Basildon Council - Housing Delivery Test Action Plan - May 2020 (PDF) [529KB] (opens new window)

Basildon Council - Housing Delivery Test Action Plan - July 2019 (PDF) [381KB] (opens new window)