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Strategic Housing Market Assessment and Housing Needs Survey

A Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) is a study conducted to enhance the council’s awareness of how the housing market functions and underpins the development of housing, planning, economic development and regeneration policies and strategies. The SHMA is a crucial part of the evidence base used to inform both the Local Development Framework documents and the housing strategy.

Strategic Housing Market Assessment

A Strategic Housing Market Assessment has been carried out for Tower Hamlets in 2009. This will help Tower Hamlets decide were we should encourage development of the right types of homes in the right places. The assessment has been carried out in accordance with the Government's guidance note 'Strategic Housing Market Assessments: Practice Guidance' with guidance from the Tower Hamlets Housing Partnership. The SHMA also involved reviewing a wide range of secondary data as well as obtaining views and information from a wide range of stakeholders.  

The study provides a wealth of analysis, including information on:

  • The housing market in Tower Hamlets in relation to neighbouring markets
  • How the housing market operates, key drivers and relationships within the market
  • Levels of housing need and demand that will inform the development of local planning and housing policies
  • The mix and size of market and affordable housing required.

The SHMA explores current and future housing need in some detail and estimates the number of current and future households in housing need. It also provides an analysis of the available stock and requirements of existing affordable housing tenants for different sizes of properties.

The report makes a range of recommendations on the issues of: Balancing the Housing Market, Affordable Housing Targets, Site Size Thresholds, Affordable Tenure Mix Targets, Property Size Targets, Housing Strategy and Older Persons Housing Needs.

Please view a summary of the findings from Tower Hamlets SHMA.

This study will contribute to the sub-regional Strategic Housing Market Assessment being carried out by the East London Housing Partnership and will feed into and form a part of the evidence base used for the sub-regional study.

Housing market survey

A key component of the SHMA is a household survey. In Tower Hamlets, this involved face to face interviews with over 1700 residents on issues such as residents’ past moves, future intentions, household characteristics and financial circumstances. A separate report on the survey findings is available from the Strategic Housing Team and was also been made available as part of the consultation process.