Monitoring
The Planning Policy Team is responsible for monitoring land use change in the borough as well as monitoring the effectiveness of policies within the Development Plan.
Authority Monitoring Report (AMR)
The purpose of the Authority Monitoring Report is to detail progress on the preparation of new Development Plan Documents against the timetable set out in the Local Development Scheme (LDS) and to assess the extent to which planning policies are being implemented.
View the most recent Authority Monitoring Report and previous versions
Housing Delivery Test (HDT)
The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) was introduced to ensure that enough new homes are being built in England and to increase the pace of house building.
The HDT compares the number of new homes built in each local authority area over the previous three years against the local housing requirement.
Sandwell scored 47% on the 2022 HDT (results published in December 2023). The Council is required to produce an Action Plan that sets out how it will support the delivery of more homes and publish it by June 2024. A 20% buffer is added onto the Five-Year Housing Land Supply calculation and the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development applies when determining relevant planning applications.
View the most recent Housing Delivery Test Action Plan and previous versions
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)
The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is a study of land within Sandwell that could accomodate new homes. Its purpose is to provide evidence to support the production of the new Local Plan.
The SHLAA is a technical document only. It does not allocate land for development and does not introduce new policy.
The SHLAA includes a calculation of Sandwell's Five Year Housing Land Supply. The calculation works out whether there is enough land available to build the number of new homes that are needed in the next five years.
View the most recent Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and previous versions
Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBCHMA)
Authorities in the Black Country, Birmingham and the surrounding area have not been able to identify enough land to build the number of homes that the region needs. Sandwell Council continues to work with the other Local Planning Authorities in the Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBCHMA) to monitor the supply of housing land in the HMA and to identify a way to address the shortfall of housing land.
View the GBBCHMA Strategic Growth Study and Position Statements
Brownfield Land Register
The Brownfield Land Register (BLR) is a register of previously developed sites in Sandwell that are suitable for residential development. It is intended to help developers identify suitable sites quickly, speeding up the construction of homes and concentrating new development on brownfield land.
The Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017 require local authorities to prepare and maintain a register of brownfield land that is suitable for residential development (known as Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register).
The Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) Order 2017 states that sites entered on Part 2 of the Brownfield Land Register will be granted permission in principle. Sandwell Council currently has no Part 2 sites.
View the Brownfield Land Register
Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register
The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 requires local planning authorities to keep a register of people who are looking for a serviced plot of land to build their own home.