Vale of White Horse Call for Sites – seeking employment a...

The Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) have started preparing a new local plan and are currently undertaking a Call for Sites exercise, which will run until midnight on Friday 29^th May 2020.

Local authorities are required to review (and if necessary, update) their local plan at least every five years. VWHDC are now beginning work on a new Local Plan to 2041 for the district.

The Call for Sites exercise invites landowners, agents, developers, community groups and other interested parties to submit information to the council on the sites they would like to be assessed.

Whilst this is essentially a data gathering exercise about land which may be available for development and is not a grant of planning permission, it can provide an important first step in promoting your site for potential allocation into the Local Plan. Such an allocation would ease its future development prospects.

What type of development sites are being sought?

VWHDC has identified the following requirements for sites, which need to be:

Located in VWHDC’S administrative boundary;
Able to accommodate 5 or more dwellings if proposed for residential use;
Able to accommodate 500sqm or more if proposed for economic development use.

Although as of July 2019, VWHDC demonstrated a 5.1-year housing land-supply, the Call for Sites exercise is a crucial step in ensuring a robust housing land supply is maintained, especially considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

How we can help with a successful site submission

For a site to be submitted successfully, VWHDC asks that you provide necessary information which includes: ownership details, an appropriately scaled map, proposed type and scope of development, information on any known constraints and how these might be overcome.

Making an effective submission and providing the necessary evidence to support your site can be challenging. We can help by reviewing the development potential of your site and assisting you in preparing an informed and strategic response for consideration.

Further ways in which we add value include:

Site analysis to see if your land meets the necessary requirements;
Supported using bespoke GIS mapping systems to highlight the opportunities and constraints of a site (see our image above);
Assessing the site’s credentials against local and national policy;
Coordinating your promotion efforts to help you present your site in the most effective manner possible.

The deadline for submissions is 29th May 2020 and if you feel you have a site suitable for housing or employment and want to understand more about its development potential then get in touch today via enquiries@plainview.co.uk or call us on 01242 501003 to see how we can best assist you, providing the site address and a brief overview of your project. We value your privacy and any information which you provide will not be shared outside of our company and will only be used in relation to your enquiry.

Content correct at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date advice or to discuss your project, please contact our team directly.