About This Hub

This hub serves as a practical starting point for planners, developers, and consultants seeking to understand and deliver high-quality Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). Whether you're new to HIA or looking to review your workflow, this page connects you with all our structured guidance, introduces the place data and review tools on PlaceChangers, and several real-world examples.

PlaceChangers is a digital platform purpose-built to support design teams with key planning activities —like health impact reviews — through pre-aggregated data, handy visualisation, community engagement, and policy-aligned HIA guidance templates.

From nationally recognised frameworks like HUDU to local data integration and spatial analytics, PlaceChangers has been used by developers and town planners to simplify the HIA process while enhancing its credibility and impact.

What is a Health Impact Assessment?

In simple terms, a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a structured process that evaluates the potential health effects of a proposed development or policy before it is built or implemented.

In planning, HIAs help ensure that the design of neighbourhoods actively supports better health outcomes, addressing concerns like walkability, access to green space, air quality, and proximity to health services. HIAs provide a human-centric perspective on any impacts a development might generate — positive and negative — while recognising interventions made to mitigate negative impacts.

Many town planners and developers are now to HIAs. If you’re new to HIAs or looking to improve your planning application submissions, this hub will guide you through the essentials.

For a deep dive, see

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What is a health impact assessment for planning applications? Why should you care?

Why HIAs Matter in Planning and Development

Integrating health considerations into planning is no longer optional for many projects—it’s becoming a recognised standard. If integrated into the design, HIAs offer several practical benefits:

Recognise community-, place, and local assets-specific characteristics
Demonstrate social value to planning authorities
Help meet national and local policy requirements
Support community wellbeing and long-term health equity

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How can house builders influence improved health outcomes?

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Homes England funding: Focus on locally-relevant social value

Built-In Support for Trusted HIA Frameworks

HIA delivery in town planning has typically been very niece and fragmented. In the UK, there are a couple of frameworks that are nationally recognised in practitioner circles and local health officers. And at times, local councils may have adapted local versions for health impact assessments for planning applications.

PlaceChangers impact appraisal tool includes ready-to-use templates and tools that align with widely recognised HIA frameworks:

HUDU Rapid HIA Tool
Public Health England indicators
Several local council HIA guidance

These are embedded within the platform to help you scope, evaluate, and report HIAs efficiently—whether you're conducting a full assessment or a rapid review.

Using Place Analytics to Support HIAs

Health impact assessments need to be underpinned by evidence. These days, there's an abundance of planning-specific spatial data available, making this in some ways easier than ever, but also overly complex.

The PlaceChangers platform integrates powerful place analytics to enhance your HIA process:

Visualise population health data and deprivation indices
Analyse walkability, connectivity and transport access
Map local services like GPs, schools, green space and food outlets
Have automatic national comparisons to judge performance of local areas

Find out more:

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Unlocking urban insights: How place analytics compare to traditional GIS

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Enhancing project briefs with robust place data

Real-World Case Studies

PlaceChangers has supported a variety of health-focused planning projects:

These examples show how HIAs can inform better decisions, streamline approvals and enhance community outcomes.

How to Conduct an HIA: The Basics

Here’s a simple breakdown of the key stages in conducting an HIA:

Scoping – Identify relevant health issues for the site
Evidence gathering – Collect data on population health, environment and context
Stakeholder input – Engage communities and relevant partners
Assessment – Analyse positive and negative impacts
Reporting – Summarise findings and recommendations
Submit – Submit your HIA for review to the local councils' public health team
Monitoring – Track outcomes where appropriate

PlaceChangers place analytics and impact review tools support each step—see our in-platform HUDU-aligned checklist for a structured approach.

Related Reading:

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Making community consultation part of health impact assessments

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Mapping progress: Defining Local Impact Areas in Urban Development

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Analysing sites for connectivity and creating 20-min neighbourhoods

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a rapid health impact assessment?A shorter version of a full HIA, typically for smaller or less complex developments. PlaceChangers includes tools to conduct these quickly and credibly.

Do I need an HIA for every planning application?Not always. Requirements vary by local policy, but HIAs are increasingly expected for major schemes or those with potential to affect population health.

Can PlaceChangers help consultants or developers?Yes—our tools are designed for planning consultants, developers, and local authorities, simplifying assessment and reporting.