9 Population and housing

9.1 Policy context

International

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include the following goals that are relevant to population and housing:

• Goal 1 – No Poverty.
• Goal 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.
• Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities.
• Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• Goal 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

These objectives support the provision of sufficient, affordable and inclusive housing, sustainable communities and equal access to opportunities.

National

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires Local Plans to contribute towards sustainable development and provide an appropriate framework for housing delivery.

The Housing Act 2004 provides the legislative framework for housing standards and addressing housing need.

Reforms to the planning system were introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 and this establishes a revised framework for plan-making and housing delivery.

The National Planning Policy Framework (2026) (NPPF) places significant emphasis on addressing the national housing shortage and supporting the delivery of sustainable development. It requires local plans to provide for identified housing needs and maintain an adequate supply of developable land to support housing growth. 

For housing, the NPPF requires local planning authorities to: 

• Meet identified housing needs as far as possible through plan-making.
• Ensure sufficient land is allocated to support housing delivery over the plan period.
• Deliver a wide choice of high-quality homes, including affordable housing and specialist accommodation.
• Support sustainable, mixed and inclusive communities.
• Promote higher-density development in sustainable locations where appropriate.
• Support residential and mixed-use development in locations with good public transport accessibility, including areas within reasonable walking distance of well-connected railway stations.
• Address the housing needs of specific groups, including families, older people, disabled people, students, Gypsies and Travellers, service families and those wishing to build their own homes.
• Ensure new development achieves high standards of design, accessibility and sustainability. 

The NPPF also introduces stronger national support for development in sustainable locations and places increased importance on maintaining up-to-date local plans to provide certainty for communities and developers.

The national PPG provides detailed advice relating to:

• Housing and economic needs assessments (Feb 2025): Guides Councils in how to assess their housing needs, an unconstrained assessment of the minimum number of homes needed in an area and sets out the standard method for assessing local housing need.
• Housing and economic land availability assessment (Nov 2025): Sets out the method for assessing housing and economic land availability, identifying a future supply of land which is suitable, available and achievable for housing and economic development uses over the plan period.
• Housing supply and delivery (Dec 2024): Guidance on 5-year housing land supply (specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of housing) and Housing Delivery Test (measures whether planned requirements have been met over the last 3 years).
• Housing needs of different groups (May 2021): Plan-making authorities should assess the need for housing of different groups and reflect this in planning policies. Authorities must also consider the implications of their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty.
• Housing for older and disabled people (June 2019): Guidance on understanding the needs and providing housing choices for older and disabled people.
• Self-build and custom housebuilding (Feb 2021): Guidance on the duty of Plan-making authorities to prepare a publish self-build register and land duties; granting planning permission for plots; and plan-making.
• Planning policy for traveller sites (Dec 2024): Guidance on achieving the Government’s aims in respect of traveller sites including meeting identified needs, promoting the provision of private sites, and reducing the number of unauthorised developments.
• First Homes (Dec 2021): First Homes are the government’s preferred discounted market tenure and should account for at least 25% of all affordable housing units delivered by developers through planning obligations. The First Homes criteria are the minimum requirements a housing unit must meet to qualify as a First Home.

Regional

The Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority has started initial work on the Cheshire and Warrington Strategic Economic Framework.  This emerging work will relate to housing growth, infrastructure and regeneration.

Local

The Borough Plan 2024-2028 includes the following missions that are relevant to population and housing:

• Neighbourhood Pride.
• Tackling Hardship and Poverty.
• Starting Well.
• Resilient People Living Their Best Lives.

Cheshire West and Chester Housing Needs Assessment (2026) (HNA) provides the principal evidence base for establishing housing requirements, affordable housing needs, housing mix and specialist housing requirements. 

Chester One City Plan sets out a new vision for how the public, private and community sector can work together to make Chester a fairer, stronger, and greener city by 2045.

9.2 Baseline information

The 2021 Census indicates that the population structure of Cheshire West and Chester increased by 8.4% from around 329,600 in 2011 to 357,200 in 2021. This increase is above the overall increase for England (6%), and higher than the population increase for the North West (5.2%). Cheshire West and Chester had the fourth largest increase in population in the North West region. However, in 2021 the borough ranked 22nd for total population out of the 309 local authority areas in England and has remained in that position since the last census in 2011.

The population change by age group in Cheshire West and Chester is dominated by an increase of 24.2% in people aged 65 and over. However there has also been an increase of 6.4% in children aged under 15 years (see Figure 9.1 below).

Figure 9.1 Cheshire West and Chester population change 2011 - 2021

There are 167,820 dwellings in the borough that equates to 155,154 households (Source: MHCLG table 100 Dwelling Stock, ONS table TS041 Number of households). Around 66% of all households are one or two person households, a further 16% are three people households, and 17% are four or more people households (Source: Census 2021).

At April 2026 the median house price in Cheshire West and Chester was £265,000, reflecting a 2.2% increase from the previous year. The national median house price is £270,080. The affordability ratio (median house prices to work based earnings) for the borough is 6.20, and the five-year median average (2020 to 2025) is 7.30. The ratio for England is 7.6. The higher the affordability ratio, the less affordable it is to purchase a home. (Source: ONS House price statistics, ratio of house prices to work based earnings).

In September 2022, there were 1,462 long-term empty dwellings (1,038 empty for six months to two years, and 424 empty for over two years). More recent Council data indicates that there are more than 2,000 long-term empty properties within Cheshire West and Chester. Direct comparison with earlier years should be treated with caution due to changes in reporting and Council Tax premium rules. Nevertheless, the total remains below the 2015-2016 baseline of 2,246 long-term empty homes, indicating that a substantial number of properties have been brought back into use over the period.  

Housing need

A housing requirement, or Local Housing Need figure (LHN) is calculated using the Government's standard method for assessing local housing need, as set out in PPG: Housing and economic development needs assessments (Feb 2025). This uses the Governments’ live tables on dwelling stock (Table 125), and affordability data (median workplace-based affordability ratios) published by the Office for National Statistics at a local authority level. The calculation is set out below.

The Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) 2026 identifies Cheshire West and Chester as a largely self-contained housing market area, although there are important relationships with Flintshire, Cheshire East and the Wirral. 

The HNA identifies continued need for:

• Market housing
• Affordable housing.
• Family housing.
• Smaller homes suitable for first-time buyers.
• Accommodation for older people.
• Accessible and adaptable housing.
• Specialist accommodation for those with care and support needs. 

Affordability remains a significant issue. Median house prices are above the regional average, and home ownership is becoming increasingly difficult for younger households. The HNA also identifies a need for a greater supply of smaller and more affordable homes. 

The HNA notes that around 70% of housing stock comprises homes with three or more bedrooms and that there is a relatively limited supply of smaller dwellings and flats. Significant levels of under-occupation exist within the existing housing stock. 

9.3 Duty to cooperate / strategic matters

Housing market and migration relationships extend beyond administrative boundaries. Key partners include neighbouring Council (Cheshire East, Warrington, Flintshire, and Wirral), Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, Homes England, and Registered Providers.

Strategic matters include housing market relationships; affordable housing provision; economic growth and labour markets; infrastructure provision; and specialist housing needs.

9.4 Recent changes and anticipated trends

Recent changes:

• Continuation of population growth to exceed regional averages (Source: ONS How life has changed in Cheshire West and Chester: Census 2021)
• Housing delivery has remained relatively strong but has slowed compared with previous peaks. (Source: Housing Land Monitor reports)
• Affordability pressures continue despite some recent improvements.
• Increased emphasis is being placed on high-quality design, accessible housing and affordable homes.
• Growing focus on brownfield regeneration and town-centre living.
• Revised NPPF (2026) introduced a clearer rules-based planning system, stronger support for housing delivery, a greater focus on sustainable locations and higher-density development, and enhanced policy support for housing growth around well-connected public transport hubs. 

Anticipated trends:

• An increasingly ageing population requiring specialist and accessible housing.
• Continued demand for both market and affordable housing because of population and demographic changes, as well as arising from economic growth and investment opportunities within the borough.
• Increased demand for smaller homes, including accommodation suitable for younger households and downsizers.
• Greater pressure to maximise use of previously developed land.
• Increasing requirements for high-quality, sustainable and energy-efficient homes.
• Increased pressure to deliver housing in sustainable and accessible locations, particularly in urban areas, regeneration locations and areas with good public transport connectivity. 

9.5 Evidence gaps and proposed work

The following work will be required to assist in the preparation of a new Local Plan:

• Gypsy and Traveller needs assessment – this assessment is currently being undertaken, and it will set out the borough requirement for additional plots and pitches to meet the identified need.
• Site identification study – this study will inform the identification of site allocations to meet the needs for housing and employment land in the new Local Plan. It will build on the work completed as part of the Land Availability Assessment, providing detailed site assessments and provisional site capacity information to inform the selection of draft land allocations.
• Housing delivery – an on-going review of annual housing delivery and the five-year land supply position will monitor the progress of housing delivery against the Local Plan requirements. This will include monitoring the mix and type of housing delivered to test the effectiveness of policy and ensure that the wide range of needs are being met across the borough. 

9.6 Local Plan scope and influence

The new Local Plan will provide a policy framework for sustainable housing growth in the borough. It can consider and the land use requirements for different types of new housing across the borough. Policies will influence the range of future housing to be provided including, but not limited to, affordable housing, accessible and adaptable homes, specialist accommodation for older people and student accommodation.

The Local Plan will establish the borough’s housing requirement and allocate sufficient land for new housing to meet the future identified needs over the new plan period, including identify broad locations for new strategic development where relevant. It can contain policies and land allocations to support the delivery of new housing across the borough, promoting high quality design, sustainable development and the regeneration of brownfield land within key areas.

9.7 Key sustainability issues and opportunities

Issues:

• Affordability remains a significant challenge in many parts of the borough.
• Shortage of smaller market and affordable homes to meet the needs of for first time buyers, single person households, downsizing and older persons
• Ageing population increasing demand for specialist and accessible accommodation.
• Housing delivery has slowed from previous peak levels, and the level of extant planning permissions is declining
• Ability to plan and deliver the appropriate infrastructure and services needed to support housing growth across the borough.
• Balancing increased expectations for housing delivery with environmental, infrastructure and place-making objectives.
• Shortage of suitable and available previously developed land in and on the edge of sustainable locations

Opportunities:

• Deliver sufficient housing to meet identified needs, improving housing choice and tenure mix, including the provision of housing that supports independent living for older people.
• Reduce inequalities through increased affordable housing provision and improved access to suitable and affordable housing.
• Support regeneration of previously developed land and urban areas to deliver high quality, healthy and sustainable neighbourhoods.
• Support economic growth by ensuring an adequate supply of homes for the workforce.
• Direct growth towards sustainable locations with strong public transport accessibility, helping to reduce reliance on private car travel.

9.8 SA framework