ONS 2014? OMG! Back to the future for Local Plan as Govt pushes Dacorum numbers sky-high

THERE'S BEEN AN ANNOUNCEMENT

You may have noticed the announcement in the news on Tuesday that the Government has decided to adjust its housing target algorithm.

The announcement SEEMS, on the face of it, good news. However, on closer inspection we have noted that the Government plans to go back to the previous standard method, AND base the figures on the out-of-date 2014 ONS projections. If this is final it means that our housing target number WILL ACTUALLY BE INCREASING.

In spite of the fact that the proposed new method focused excessive housing in Dacorum and other boroughs around London and that this is the reason for changing it, the new plan is to go back to superseded projection numbers.

Dacorum's 2024 household projection figure is double the most recent projections from the ONS.

As a result based on this base-number + the old Standard Method, the housing target figure will be 1023 PER YEAR.

In short, now is not the time to breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, please, look at the Consultation.

If you only make one comment, make sure, if you think the overall number is too high, that you say so in your response.

If residents like you don't make their feelings known, then this will likely go ahead as is, and Greenbelt Dacorum could be loaded up.

If you need a handy guide to how to comment try this article.