South Somerset District Council are undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’ consultation as part of their review of the Housing & Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) in order to update the previous HELAA published in 2018.
The HELAA only identifies opportunities for housing and economic development on sites which are considered to be suitable, available and achievable/developable. It does not allocate sites to be developed. It will be part of the evidence base used to identify additional sites for housing or employment to meet the District’s future requirements and to inform the five-year supply of deliverable housing land. Submissions may also be used to support the preparation of Neighbourhood Plans.
The consultation is now live and will end on the Friday 27th March 2020.
What type of development sites will be considered?
South Somerset are appealing to landowners, developers, agents and interested individuals who have land in the district which could be suitable for employment areas, housing or a combination of the two.
The council has also specified several land uses that it is seeking sites suitable in whole or in part for, and these include:
- general housing;
- supported housing and accommodation for older people;
- self-build plots;
- mixed use sites;
- land for economic development including those suitable for use class B1, B2, B8 and public and community uses, retail, built leisure, arts, culture and tourism development.
The council are also using the Call for Sites exercise seek information about any change in circumstances regarding the availability of existing HELAA sites; and to review the suitability of employment sites promoted for housing use.
The assessment will consider all sites and broad locations capable of delivering five or more dwellings or economic development on sites of 0.25 ha (or 500m2 of floorspace) and above. Sites which are less than this or are heavily constrained, are less likely to be considered appropriate for inclusion.
Whilst submission of a site through the ‘Call for Sites’ process does not guarantee designation, it could be a valuable first step towards realising the development potential of your site.
How to put your site forward for potential future development
The council advise that if you have a potentially suitable site, then you need to complete a site submission form and also provide a scaled location map, details of the site and information relating to ownership.
Making an effective submission and providing the necessary evidence to support your site as suitable, available and developable, can be challenging. We can help by reviewing the development potential of your site and assisting you in preparing an informed and strategic submission for consideration. Our team regularly help landowners promote land as potential strategic development sites and we offer a variety of services and packages, from consultancy services to fully funded solutions via our sister company, Context Land.
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 27th March 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. Contact our team 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. You can also submit your site via our Landmark Page. 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.
INFORMATION SOURCE: South Somerset District Council HELAA Call For Sites 2020
IMAGE SOURCE: Plainview Planning Ltd 2020