The Group Manager Development reported on the purpose, status and findings of the Local Housing Market Assessment (LHMA) which updated the last LHMA conducted in 2012.

He stated that Local Authorities have a requirement to consider the housing accommodation needs of their localities under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1985. In order to fulfil this requirement, Welsh Local Authorities must formulate LHMAs, which review housing needs through a holistic review of the whole housing market.  The importance of LHMAs were emphasised in the 2019 Independent Review of Affordable Housing Supply which stated that “the basis of good housing policy and decisions regarding affordable housing supply stems from the best possible data on housing need and demand”. 

He reported that a refreshed LHMA was completed in 2019 in accordance with Welsh Government Guidance, thereby satisfying the Council’s statutory obligations.  He informed the Committee that the LHMA identifies eight broad Housing Market Areas across the County Borough, based on functional geographies, considering the potential sphere of relocation, the cost of housing (to gauge ‘transferability’ within the market) and the influence of major transport links (to take account of commuting patterns).  The areas are:

• Bridgend and Surrounding
• Pencoed and Heol y Cyw
• Garw Valley
• Porthcawl
• Llynfi Valley
• Pyle, Kenfig and Cornelly
• Ogmore Valley
• Valleys Gateway  

He stated that whilst the level of housing need appeared to have dramatically ‘decreased’ between LHMAs, it was a reflection of a huge variety of inter-related factors rather than a more simplistic sliding scale of housing need.  He outlined the implications for the Replacement LDP, in that development plans must include an authority-wide target for affordable housing (expressed as numbers of homes) which should be based on the LHMA and take account of both deliverability and viability.  He informed the Committee that overall, the updated LHMA provided a refreshed and robust rationale to inform the Replacement LDP and its inter-related policies along with decisions on planning applications.

RESOLVED:       That the Committee noted the contents of the Local Housing Market Assessment.