The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) was a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation (officially termed a non-departmental public body) set up by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2006[1] and formally launched in June 2007,[2] with the aim of advising the government on the impact of planned housing provision on affordability,[3] and in an attempt to counteract the growing numbers of citizens who were struggling to get on the property ladder in England.

[10] These terms were extended in October 2009 for a further sixteen months, but Prof. Stephen Nickell chose to step down to 'concentrate on other interests',[10] the office of chair was filled by existing board member Dr Peter Williams.

The decision was announced on 28 June 2010,[1] a DC&LG spokesperson stated that: The government has decided to close the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit with immediate effect.

This decision has been taken in order to rationalise the number of advisory bodies and to make savings.The DC&LG made clear that the closure did not in any way show a lack of commitment on housing or understanding of the important issue of housing affordability, but that it was a stage in moving away from a "bottom-up rather than top-down approach that allowed local communities to control the way in which villages, towns and cities developed through local plans".

[10] Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, described former house-building targets as "soviet",[14] and communications and public affairs manager Jamie Hodge of the Royal Town Planning Institute stated that the closure was "understandable" in the current economic climate, but praised the work of the unit for being "a reliable source of objective data, helping further understanding of housing supply and affordability".