Be First has issued a public ‘call for sites’ to anyone wishing to develop land in the borough.
The Council’s regeneration company has written to over 1,000 landowners, businesses and agents to ask them to suggest sites that may be suitable for new housing or other development so that they may be considered for inclusion in the Local Plan.
The Local Plan is a legal document that provides a framework for local councillors to make decisions about planning matters.
Caroline Harper, Chief Planner at Be First, explains: “Put very crudely, it may be easier to get planning permission to develop a site in a particular way if this reflects its designation within the Local Plan. If development does not reflect its designation, it will be much harder to secure planning permission. So, this call for sites is very important for anyone who wants to build on their land, or who knows of a site that could be developed.”
Be First is reviewing the Local Plan on behalf of the council, and the closing date for submission of sites is 17 May 2019. The council expects to publish the Local Plan for public consultation by the end of the year.
Submission of a site through the call for sites exercise does not guarantee that the requested designation will be given, but all proposed sites will be considered and assessed as part of the preparation of the new Local Plan.
A submission form is available online here, or can be downloaded from the council’s website.
