No moratorium on housing was imposed on any local authority in the north-west.
Regional planning guidance published in 2003 set targets for overall house-building in each upper tier local authority area in the north-west. It was for local authorities to decide how to manage housing supply within that context taking into consideration any under or over supply and the impact on neighbouring housing markets.
A new regional spatial strategy was published in September 2008 establishing new annual average figures for housing provision. These are not absolute targets and may be exceeded, where justified.