St Albans City and District Council undertook a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) in partnership with local authorities, Dacorum, Hertsmere, Three Rivers, Watford, and Welwyn Hatfield council as well as Herts County Council. This is a cross-boundary study based on government guidance and will assist us in developing a good understanding of how our housing markets operate.
This assessment looks at the need and demand for housing across all tenures in all of the districts and will seek to identify housing markets within the partnership area. SHMA's do not in themselves make policy, but they are a very important part of the evidence base. They will, for instance, inform strategic land availability studies, Local Development Frameworks and the development of regional and sub-regional housing policy.
An executive summary of the completed SHMA is now available.
Following publication of the SHMA, another housing market report has been commissioned to add further dimensions to the findings of the SHMA. The report encompasses the same London Commuter Belt west region.
Date of last review: 10 February 2011