Evidence base

What is an evidence base?

An evidence base is a collection of information we use to understand the area where we live and work. This includes such studies as Housing Needs Assessments, Employment Land Reviews, and Landscape Character Assessments.

It also includes programmes and strategies developed by the council, its partners and other key organisations with an interest in the East Riding.

The studies, strategies, programmes and statistics that make up the evidence base are crucial to producing a robust East Riding Local Plan for the East Riding.

Paragraph 31 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states:

What makes up the East Riding Local Plan evidence base?

A number of documents have been prepared as part of the evidence base for the East Riding Local Plan and Review. These are listed below, together with a number of other local strategies and studies.

General and Community

The Local Plan has been prepared with regards to the East Riding Community Plan, reflecting its spatial elements. 

We have published an infrastructure study that details existing infrastructure provision in the East Riding and identifies future requirements as a result of planned development in the Local Plan.

We prepare annual monitoring reports that report on progress with preparing the Local Plan and performance against a number of planning and development indicators. 

To support the preparation of the Local Plan, a number of Sustainability Appraisals and Strategic Environmental Assessments have been drafted. Assessments have also been prepared, which consider the viability of residential and commercial proposals set out in the Local Plan: 

Local Plan Viability Assessment - residential (pdf 880kb)

Local Plan Viability Assessment - commercial (pdf 611kb)

We have also used a variety of statistical resources compiled at local and national levels. A list of key sources is provided below:

Office for National Statistics (external website)

East Riding Data Observatory (external East Riding website)

Neighbourhood Statistics (external website)

NOMIS - Labour Market Statistics (external website)

Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside (MAGIC) (external website)

Employment, Regeneration and the Economy

The council has produced a range of studies to support the economic policies of the Local Plan. 

An Employment Land Review considers the likely demand for, and supply of, land for employment uses whilst the amount of land available for employment purposes is recorded in annual  Employment Land Monitoring Reports. They are used to make assessments of:

• land currently in use for employment purposes
• land currently allocated for employment purposes; and
• land with the potential to be suitable for employment purposes. 

The East Riding Employment Land Review 2020 is available to view below:

East Riding Employment Land Review 2020 - Report (pdf 2.4mb)

East Riding Employment Land Review 2020 - Site Assessment Report (pdf 32mb)

A Town Centres, Retail and Leisure Study has been prepared to help inform the Local Plan Review and support regeneration activities in various centres across the East Riding. It is a detailed and wide-ranging piece of evidence that has considered the shopping and leisure habits of East Riding residents, assessed the health and vitality of individual centres and has sought to forecast future floor space requirements for retail developments.

Town Centres, Retail and Leisure Study – Stage 1 – Main Report (pdf 2.1mb)

Town Centres, Retail and Leisure Study – Stage 1 – Appendices (pdf 23mb)

Previous versions of the Town Centres and Retail Study are available on request from the Forward Planning team. 

A number of other studies and strategies have also been considered in developing the Local Plan. These include:  

Tourism Accommodation Study 2016 - Main Report (pdf 1.5mb)

Tourism Accommodation Study 2016 - Appendices (pdf 2.1mb)   

East Riding of Yorkshire Council Regeneration Strategy Schedules (pdf 542kb)

Hedon Haven Key Employment Site

A series of studies have been undertaken to inform the identification of land at Hedon Haven for the expansion of the Port of Hull in the Local Plan. These include:

Agricultural Land Baseline Study (pdf 606kb) 

Cultural Heritage Baseline Study (pdf 15mb)

Flood Risk Baseline Study (pdf 6mb)

Geoenvironmental Baseline Study (pdf 1mb)

Landscape and Visual Amenity Baseline Study (pdf 8mb)

Noise Baseline Study (pdf 1mb)

Water Quality Baseline Study (pdf 3mb)

Phase 1 Habitat Survey (pdf 1mb)

Heritage and Landscape Parameter Study (pdf 961kb)

Heritage Impact Assessment (pdf 8mb)

Housing

To understand the need for housing in the East Riding, and inform the housing requirement for the Local Plan, a range of studies have been prepared including: 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2019 (pdf 4mb)

Joint Hull and East Riding Housing Needs Study 2016 (pdf 2mb) 

East Riding of Yorkshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (2018) (pdf 628kb)

An Affordable Housing Viability Assessment has been prepared to help develop a Local Plan policy aimed at identifying a requirement for affordable housing as part of new developments.

The amount of land available to meet the East Riding's housing requirements is set out in annual Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). These assessments include statements on whether the council has a 5-year supply of deliverable housing sites, which is a requirement of national policy.

To help inform the identification of suitable sites in the Allocations Document (part of the Local Plan), a methodology was prepared to ensure consistent assessments of all of the site options. This methodology also provided the basis for undertaking a sustainability appraisal of the Allocations Document.

Site Assessment Methodology (January 2014 Update) (pdf 4mb)

Transport

There are strong links between the Local Plan and the Local Transport Plan. The Local Transport Plan sets out the area's transport needs and challenges. At the beginning of the Local Plan process, we prepared an assessment of transport and accessibility in the East Riding.

The Environment

A number of different studies have been prepared to support the development of environmental policies in the Local Plan including a  Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and  Landscape Character Assessment. In addition, the  Open Space Review provides information on the current provision of different types of open space in the East Riding. 

Guidance documents on renewable energy developments have also provided valuable sources of information on environmental matters in the East Riding. 

Planning for Renewable Energy Developments - Volume 1 (pdf 392kb)

Planning for Renewable Energy Developments - Volume 2 (pdf 1mb)

Minerals

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that minerals planning authorities should plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregates by preparing an annual Local Aggregate Assessment, based on a rolling average of 10 years sales data, relevant local information, and an assessment of all supply options. Authorities can carry out this task individually or jointly with one or several other authority(s).

Minerals planning authorities are required to cooperate with neighbouring authorities to coordinate for a planned approach to ensure adequate minerals provision. The Yorkshire and Humber region contains seventeen unitary authorities and one county council. This Local Aggregate Assessment has been produced by, and for, the four Humber mineral planning authorities:

• East Riding of Yorkshire Council
• Kingston upon Hull City Council
• North Lincolnshire Council
• North East Lincolnshire Council.

The Regional Aggregate Working Party (RAWP) ceased to exist after March 2011. An interim Yorkshire and Humber Aggregate Minerals Working Group meeting took place in June 2012 when it was agreed that the sub-regional approach was still the most appropriate option, primarily because some of the available data is only available in a sub-regional format and there are well-established working relationships. 

The Local Aggregates Assessment provides part of the evidence base for the  Joint Mineral Plan for Hull and the East Riding, and is required by the NPPF.

Assessments are updated on an annual basis and aggregates operator survey data will be updated annually with the help of the Yorkshire and Humber Aggregates Working Party.

Local Aggregates Assessment 2018 (pdf 2mb)

Yorkshire and Humber Aggregate Working Party monitor the supply of, demand for, and reserves of, all aggregates including both primary aggregate and alternative sources in local authority areas across the Region. Their latest Annual Monitoring Report 2017, which includes 2016 data, is included below:

Yorkshire and Humber Aggregate Working Party Annual Monitoring Report 2017 (pdf 2mb)

What is the York, North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull Spatial Framework?

The Spatial Framework is a non-statutory document that outlines the vision and priorities for growth and the overall spatial strategy for the area.

The Local Authorities across York, North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull (YNYERH) have recognised the need to develop a broad framework that sets out an agreed view as to how sustainable growth could be facilitated across the sub-region over the medium to longer term, i.e. towards 2050 and beyond the current suite of Local Plans.

The vision

Connected, distinctive and thriving towns and cities will help drive growth and support a successful, sustainable future for current and future generations. Whether living in a city, market town or in the countryside we want to support and deliver a better quality of life for people in the YNYERH area – through our approach to growth and infrastructure planning.

Three sectoral priorities have been identified: Digital, Environment and Transport.

The Spatial Framework will bring a number of benefits. It will:

• support better infrastructure delivery with the achievement of greater levels of sustainable economic growth
• provide a stronger case for investment, helping to make the spatial case for external funding for infrastructure investment where this is required to support growth
• demonstrate more proactive collaboration across all the partner Local Authorities enabling them to work more effectively and efficiently in preparing and delivering their Local Plans and providing the market with more confidence to invest and grow.

The Spatial Framework provides an overall direction and coherence for the future of the YNYERH area whilst retaining the space and discretion for Local Plans to make their own allocations for development that take in to account local sustainability, viability, political and community factors.

York, North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull Spatial Framework (pdf 3.6mb)