Monitoring of Plan Strategy

The Housing Monitor is a long-established annual study originally introduced in 1997 by the former Department of the Environment. The report provides information on residential development across the District, including residential units completed (based on Building Control completion certificates), remaining housing potential, and developed and remaining housing land (hectares).

Following adoption of the Council’s Plan Strategy and ongoing preparation of the Local Policies Plan, monitoring activity is now focused specifically on the Plan period 2015–2030. This reflects the Council’s monitoring and review responsibilities under Part 6 of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, which require the preparation of an annual monitoring report on housing land supply and the number of net additional housing units built within the District. The monitoring year runs annually from 1 April to 31 March.

The updated Housing Monitor reports for 2023–2025 include revised records of housing completions, remaining housing potential and housing need across settlements within the District. Details of the methodology used in preparing the reports are also included.

The Housing Monitor is primarily a desktop study based on Building Control records. A Building Control completion certificate issued for a development is taken as evidence that a residential unit has been completed. This information is then used to update annual figures to reflect net housing completions.

The figures included within the monitor represent the professional judgement of officers for the purposes of annual monitoring and reporting and should not be regarded as a definitive legal position on whether a site has commenced, remains extant or has lapsed.

Viewers should note that indicative HGI (Housing Growth Indicator) allocations are intended to inform monitoring and are neither a target nor a cap on development. As the Plan period progresses, some settlements may reach a zero HGI balance; however, proposals that comply with relevant planning policies, in accordance with the objectives of the Plan Strategy, may still be approved.

Nothing within the information herein should be read as generating an expectation as to how the Council will determine any individual application for planning permission, enforcement case or certificate of lawful development in the future.

Any queries relating to any of the above should be directed to the Local Development Plan team.