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Methodology
The Housing Land Availability Monitor (the Monitor) measures net gains in housing within the Belfast City Council boundary. It provides a snapshot of the amount of land available for new homes as of 1 April each year. The process followed to produce the Annual Housing Monitor is summarised at Appendix A.
The Monitor presents a register of potential housing land, based on current planning policy designations (Footnote 1) and planning permissions, rather than an accurate picture of viable housing land. It is the role of an Urban Capacity Study (UCS), which will be undertaken from time to time, to assess the suitability, availability and achievability of monitored sites to contribute to a viable supply of land. The most recent UCS (Footnote 2) was completed in March 2018 and, although new sites identified are not included in the Monitor, the outcomes are summarised within the 2017-2018 Belfast Housing Land Availability Summary Report.
Work has commenced on preparation of an updated UCS which will form part of the evidence base for the LPP. Preliminary findings derived from this work which have implications for existing housing monitor sites are reflected in the figures presented in this report. However, no new sites have been added to this report as a result of the UCS work.
Footnotes
Footnote one: For the purposes of the Housing Land Availability Monitor, the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) 2015 is utilised rather than the former Belfast Urban Area Plan (BUAP) 2001. The adopted BMAP was quashed as a result of a judgement in the Court of Appeal delivered on 18 May 2017 and, although this means the BUAP is now the statutory development plan for the area, the draft BMAP, in its most recent, pre-examination, form remains a significant material consideration in future planning decisions. Draft BMAP therefore refers to that which was purported to be adopted and not the pre-examination draft published in 2004.
Footnote two: Belfast City Council Urban Capacity Study, 20 March 2018 (link opens in new window)
