Assessing Urban Housing Potential in the North West – The Guide

‘Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing’ requires all Regional Planning Bodies (RPBs) to co-ordinate the production of Urban Capacity Studies in their region. The North West Regional Assembly and partners (including the Government Office and other stakeholders) wanted to produce guidance on how to undertake such studies to encourage consistency of approach across the region. Guidance was first produced in 1997 but this needed updating to reflect recent changes in Government policy and the publication national guidance ‘Tapping the Potential - Assessing Urban Housing Capacity: Towards Better Practice’. (DETR 2000).

Entec, in association with the Centre for Residential Development (CRD), was commissioned to produce the updated guidance. Using its knowledge of undertaking such studies throughout the country the consultant team was able to provide flexible guidance that acknowledged the diversity of settlements in the region and the availability of resources to undertake such studies. A series of interviews were undertaken to help inform the work. We also undertook a review of practice in other regions and a series of case studies that are featured in the guide.

It is hoped that the guidance produced for undertaking such studies in the North West will contribute to the further development of good practice, both within the region and elsewhere, and prove a source of techniques and ideas for those planners charged with preparing such studies.

To read the full profile of this project Click Here (Acrobat PDF).

Back to top

Click here to load the Entec home page