Local housing needs

Identifying and responding to local housing need involves:

• Analysis of needs data
• Assessment of the research into the housing market

In order to identify housing need, the Council has to establish a strong evidence base about the housing markets in Wiltshire. This is done by way of the Strategic Housing Market Assessments. Strategic Housing Market Assessments (SHMAs) are cross-boundary studies of the operation of Housing Market Areas.

The government's Planning Policy Statement 3 (Housing) requires local authorities to undertake Strategic Housing Market Assessments as part of the evidence base required to inform Local Development Framework Core Strategies and the development of planning and housing policy.

This council commissioned Opinion Research Services to provide robust evidence to give the authority a comprehensive understanding of its housing market area, having regard to relevant wider housing market areas where appropriate, to inform the Wiltshire Core Strategy and other housing, planning, regeneration and economic development strategies, policies and interventions. The conclusions of the assessment inform the local authority's strategic enabling role into the future and provide robust and credible evidence of the need for housing within the housing market area.

Wiltshire strategic housing market assessment is available from the Planning Policy webpage.

Wiltshire Core Strategy and Wiltshire 2026: Planning for Wiltshire's Future (Local Development Framework).

The Wiltshire Core Strategy is the most important part of the Local Development Framework (LDF), a suite of planning policy documents that was formally adopted on 20 January 2015 and has replaced the local plans covering Wiltshire and the South Wiltshire Core Strategy. The Wiltshire Core Strategy has been designed to sustainably balance the economic, social and environmental demands of the area. It is a plan to tackle Wiltshire's long-term growth aspirations through collaboration with local communities, business leaders and wider stakeholders.

More information can be found on the Wiltshire Core Strategy page.

National legislation and policy require councils in England to provide for the accommodation needs of travellers.

More information can be found on the planning policy page for Gypsy and Travellers - planning.

• Rural areas are facing specific local challenges such as affordable housing, an ageing population, rural isolation, and reduced accessibility
• Rural communities make up 50% of Wiltshire's population living in 95% of the geographic area
• We are continually reviewing rural housing needs surveys in collaboration with parish councils and partner housing associations in order to help better understand the needs of our rural communities.

For copies of the surveys visit the Rural Housing Needs Surveys (opens new window) website.

If you would like more information on how we measure housing need, please contact the Community Led Housing Team communityledhousing@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

We are working with parish councils to identify the housing needs of local people.

Households in parishes across Wiltshire are being asked to take part in a survey that will give up-to-date information about local housing circumstances and aspirations. This information will be used to help us develop our housing and planning policies to best meet these needs, including whether there is a local need for affordable housing in parishes and, if so, of what size and type.

We need your help to find out what is important to you and would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to complete this survey. We are interested in getting the views both of households in your parish and of households that may live elsewhere but require affordable housing in your parish. If you know someone who does not live in the parish, but is in need of housing within the parish, please let them know about the survey.

All of the information that you give will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be linked with your name or address, nor to any other database; nor will any information be passed on to other agencies or market research organisations.

Once the results from your parish have been received, a report will be produced to show the results and a copy provided to the parish council. Discussions will then be held to decide if any further action is required.

For further information please contact the Community Led Housing Team communityledhousing@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Wiltshire Council is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office. We can be contacted by phone, in person, or in writing. Full details of the registration are available at ICO register of data controllers (opens new window).

Wiltshire Council is the data controller for the personal information you provide in this form. The council's Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

All the information you provide here will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be linked with your name or address, nor to any other database; nor will any information be passed on to other agencies or market research organisations. This information will be used to help the council develop its housing and planning policies to best meet these needs, including whether there is a local need for affordable housing in your parish and, if so, of what size and type. A report will be produced to show the results and a copy provided to the parish council. Discussions will then be held to decide if any further action is required.

We will share your personal data where necessary and lawful within the council, but we will not share your data with any other third parties unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

For further information about how Wiltshire Council uses your personal data, including your rights as a data subject, see our Privacy Notice on the website at Privacy notice.

Here you will find details of forthcoming online rural housing needs survey.   A link in the parish name will be available once the survey is live.