Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what reasonable steps should be taken by a local authority to ascertain the supply of land available for housing as part of the local plan creation process.

It is essential for Local Planning Authorities to have up-to-date Local Plans, which provide a vision for their area and identify a supply of deliverable sites to address housing needs.

Each Local Planning Authority should establish the land available for housing in its area by undertaking a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, this is set out in paragraph 67 of the National Planning Policy Framework, and more detailed Guidance is provided within the National Planning Practice Guidance website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/housing-and-economic-land-availability-assessment.