Planning Advice Note 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits

GLOSSARY

Affordable housing: Housing of a reasonable quality that is affordable to people on modest incomes. In some places the market provides some or all of the affordable housing needed, while in other places it will be necessary to make housing available at a cost below market value to meet an identified need.

Brownfield land: Land which has previously been developed. The term may cover vacant or derelict land, infill sites, land occupied by redundant or unused buildings, and developed land within the settlement boundary where further intensification of use is considered acceptable.

Effective housing land supply: The part of the established housing land supply which is free or expected to be free of development constraints in the period under consideration, and will therefore be available for the construction of housing.

Established housing land supply: The total housing land supply - including both unconstrained and constrained sites. This will include the effective housing land supply, plus the remaining capacity for sites under construction, sites with planning consent, sites in adopted local development plans and where appropriate other buildings and land with agreed potential for housing development.

Greenfield sites: These are sites which have never been previously developed or used for an urban use, or are on land that has been brought into active or beneficial use for agriculture or forestry, i.e. fully restored derelict land.

Housing demand: The quantity and type/quality of housing which households wish to buy or rent and are able to afford.

Housing requirements: The total amount and type of housing necessary to accommodate a given or projected population at appropriate minimum standards. This includes both housing need and demand.

Housing land requirements: The amount of land required to be allocated for housing to meet the identified housing requirement.

Housing market area: A geographical area which is relatively self-contained in terms of housing demand, i.e. a large percentage of people moving house or settling in the area will have sought a dwelling only in that area.

Housing need: Refers to households lacking their own housing or living in housing which is inadequate or unsuitable, who are unlikely to be able to meet their needs in the housing market without some assistance.

Housing supply target: identified by the Local Housing Strategy in response to the outcomes of housing need and demand assessment.

Urban capacity study: An assessment of the potential contribution to the housing land supply of all the possible sources of housing land beyond the immediate planning time horizon.