New homes demand in Wales bared
At least 15,000 new homes will be needed in Wales every year for the next five years to meet the demand of population increases, it is claimed.
A new report by Welsh planning and urban design consultancy Turley Associates, Wales Housing Update, examines in detail the number of new houses needed in each of Wales’ 22 Unitary Authorities and three National Park Authorities between 2011 and 2033.
Wales Housing Update shows that Wales will have 1.5 million households by 2023 and 1.6 million by 2033. A total of 219,046 new homes will be needed by 2023 and 331,168 new homes needed by 2033 to meet increased demand.
‘No official housing targets exist in Wales. Instead, the Welsh Assembly government publishes household projections that all local authorities must follow, unless they can demonstrate otherwise. It is these projections that we have turned into housing numbers. Every local authority must also be able to demonstrate that it has a five year supply of housing land,’ said Gareth Barton, senior planner in the Cardiff office of Turley Associates.
‘These figures will be of real value to house builders and developers in Wales wishing to bring forward new schemes. They will be able to use this data as part of their evidence base to planning authorities demonstrating a need for new housing at a local level,’ he added.
The greatest demand for new housing will be in Cardiff, with 2,584 new homes needed in 2011, rising to 2,845 new homes in 2015.
‘Housing need is set to increase in Cardiff by around 3,000 units every year. This report shows that 37,206 new homes will be needed in Cardiff by 2023 and 65,888 new homes by 2033. The report shows however that there is just enough development land in Cardiff to sustain the required building levels for 2.6 years. It should be noted that Cardiff City Council’s Development Plan is very much out of date with the Local Development Plan still in its infancy,’ explained Barton.
‘The planning regime in Wales is undergoing considerable change and there are many factors that may mean these much needed houses fail to materialise, including the state of the economy and the lack of adopted Local Development Plans,’ he said.
The Welsh Assembly government requires all authorities in Wales to prepare and approve Local Development Plans and to date just two, Caerphilly Country Borough Council and Pembrokeshire National Park Authority, have adopted Plans in place. Rhondda Cynon Taf is due to follow suit next month.