1. Introduction

1.1 This report sets out the five-year housing land supply position for New Forest District (outside the National Park). This report covers the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029.

1.2 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2024 (paragraph 78) requires authorities to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide a minimum of five-years' worth of housing against their housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies or against their local housing need where the strategic policies are more than five years old.

1.3. To be considered deliverable (as defined in Annex 2 of the NPPF), sites for housing should be available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the site within five years. In particular:

a) sites which do not involve major development and have planning permission, and all sites with detailed planning permission, should be considered deliverable until permission expires, unless there is clear evidence that homes will not be delivered within five years (for example because they are no longer viable, there is no longer a demand for the type of units or sites have long term phasing plans).

b) where a site has outline planning permission for major development, has been allocated in a development plan, has a grant of permission in principle, or is identified on a brownfield register, it should only be considered deliverable where there is clear evidence that housing completions will begin on site within five years.