Viability assessments are financial appraisals submitted to LPAs by developers, that establish whether a site is viable by examining whether the value likely to be generated by the development is more than the cost of developing it, including ‘suitable’ profits for developers. Planning practice guidance states that, for the purposes of plan making and for individual negotiations, a profit margin of 15% to 20% may be considered suitable. Developers can submit a viability assessment alongside t...

Viability assessments are financial appraisals submitted to LPAs by developers, that establish whether a site is viable by examining whether the value likely to be generated by the development is more than the cost of developing it, including ‘suitable’ profits for developers. Planning practice guidance states that, for the purposes of plan making and for individual negotiations, a profit margin of 15% to 20% may be considered suitable. Developers can submit a viability assessment alongside their planning application.30 The Department wrote to us after the session, stating that it does not hold any analysis or data on LPAs’ use of the profit Type: conclusion | Number: 21 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2026 5.2 The government will be consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework before the end of this year. The government intends to publish updates to v