Cheshire East Housing Market Partnership

Government guidance indicates that the Local Development Framework evidence base should include a Strategic Housing Market Assessment that looks at housing need and demand, and a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment in order to identify sites that might come forward for housing in the future.

The Guidance Notes associated with the two assessments suggest a partnership approach to the development of these documents, with the involvement of key housing stakeholders. This is best achieved by setting up a multi-disciplinary Housing Market Partnership with local knowledge and expertise to steer the assessments.

A Macclesfield Borough Housing Market Partnership was set up in October 2007 to guide the development of the Macclesfield Borough Strategic Housing Market Assessment and Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. The responsibilities of the partnership were agreed to include the following:

• Sharing and pooling information and intelligence, including relevant contextual information and policy information
• Assisting with the Housing Market Assessment and maintaining ownership of the assessment
• Supporting core members in the analysis and interpretation of housing market intelligence
• Considering the implications of the Housing Market Assessment, including signing off the assessment, the core outputs and agreeing follow-up actions
• Maintaining ownership of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment and providing expertise and knowledge to help the partnership to take a view on deliverability and developability of site and how market conditions may affect economic viability
• Signing off the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment and agreeing follow-up actions.

This original partnership has now been widened to form the Cheshire East Housing Market Partnership, to guide the preparation of Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments and a Strategic Housing Market Assessment across the whole of the new Cheshire East Borough.

If you are interested in being part of the Housing Market Partnership, please contact us using the details below.