Leicestershire housing and office demand figures revealed

Evidence about the future need for housing and employment land in Leicester and Leicestershire has been published.

The Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) has looked at a wealth of evidence, including population, household and economic growth projections, to assess the need for housing and employment land over the next 20 years.

The report says there is a need for 117,900 homes in Leicester and Leicestershire between 2011 and 2036 to meet the demands of a growing population. This equates to 4,716 homes per year.

It also identifies a need for up to 215 hectares of land for office development, 165 hectares for manufacturing, and 117 hectares of land for warehouse and distribution floor space.

As the study period starts in 2011, some of the development will already have taken place or land will have been identified by the local authorities involved.

The study is an important part of the evidence base for Local Plans and the Strategic Growth Plan being prepared jointly by the City, County, Borough and District Councils and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

Cllr Trevor Pendleton, who chairs the group of councillors overseeing the preparation of the Strategic Growth Plan, said: “The HEDNA is a very high-level document that tells us what the expected need is for housing and employment land over the next 20 years.

“We know from experience that new development can be contentious and that’s why we are sharing the HEDNA at an early stage. This is a completely transparent process.

“There is still a long way to go, but the local authorities and the LLEP are committed to working together to plan a sustainable future for Leicester and Leicestershire.”