Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessments

An assessment was made in 2023 of the future needs for housing and employment land in the South Downs National Park to inform the review of the Local Plan, see link below.

HEDNA – Final Report Sept 2023

Following an update to Government policy in December 2024, two further studies were carried out, as below:

HEDNA – Addendum

AECOM – Housing need in the South Downs

Housing needs for the area are an important part of the evidence for the Local Plan. Most planning authorities must use the Government’s ‘Standard Method’ for calculating these needs. However, these figures are based on council areas and do not align with National Park boundaries. Planning Practice Guidance allows National Parks to establish their housing needs using ‘an alternative approach’. The South Downs NPA has been looking at two options for this approach:

A ‘top down’ approach which takes the Standard Method figures issued by Government for the 12 councils with land within the National Park, and apportions them between the National Park and the rest of the council areas based on the proportion of existing homes in each area. This approach is explained in the AECOM study, which was jointly commissioned by the South Downs NPA and Lewes, Chichester, East Hampshire and Winchester Councils. This study results in a need figure of 1,048 homes per year for the National Park.
A ‘bottom up’ approach based on principles agreed by the 10 English National Parks and the Broads. This evidence for the South Downs has been produced by consultants Iceni as an Addendum to the 2023 Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment. This Addendum establishes that the appropriate housing need figure for the South Downs is 323 homes per year (or 6,137 new homes between 2024 and 2042).

The South Downs NPA considers that 323 homes per year is the most appropriate figure to use for housing need in the National Park as it reflects the unique demographic characteristics of the area.

Housing need is just the starting point for considering the appropriate housing provision figure for the National Park. How many homes are planned for in the new Local Plan also needs to take account of the statutory purposes of the National Park, primary of which is to conserve and enhance its natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage. The proposed housing provision figure will be set out in the next version of the Local Plan, due to be published in May 2026.