The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) was introduced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in 2018 as a monitoring tool to demonstrate whether areas are building enough homes to meet their housing need.

The test compares the number of new homes delivered over the previous three years with the authority's housing requirement. The results of the test are used to determine whether a buffer is applied to the housing requirement and whether the presumption in favour of sustainable development should apply.

The HDT results published in January 2021 measured the period 2017/18 to 2019/20 and showed that Chesterfield’s delivery rate was 91% of the total need. The result is a significant improvement on previous Housing Delivery Test results.

Local Planning Authorities that fail to meet delivery targets are required to take appropriate action to address under delivery. As a consequence of the most recent Housing Delivery Test result, the council must prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan. The improved result signifies that the council does not need to add a 20% buffer to the five year housing land supply calculation.

Chesterfield’s Housing Delivery Action Plan, which can be viewed below, covers 2021/22 and identifies key issues around the delivery of new housing in the borough. The plan outlines a number of actions to increase housing delivery and ensure that this is maintained over the longer term. Broad actions include:

• identifying an appropriate mix of deliverable housing sites
• developing an enhanced understanding of barriers to development within the borough
• improving planning processes
• working proactively with landowners and investors 

Housing Delivery Action Plan 2021-2022	(PDF 1.22 MB)
Housing Delivery Action Plan 2020-2021	(PDF 1.28 MB)
Housing Delivery Action Plan 2019-2020	(PDF 1.07 MB)

Contact the forward planning team 

Email: forward.planning@chesterfield.gov.uk

Phone: 01246 345002