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Forest of Dean District Council – Call for Sites – an opportunity for landowners

photo of a river valley in the Forest of Dean

Do you have land for development in the Forest of Dean? The Forest of Dean District Council (FODDC) is undertaking a Call for Sites exercise and is seeking land in the district that could potentially accommodate future housing, employment areas, or a combination of both housing and employment.

This presents a useful opportunity for landowners, developers and groups of individuals to submit sites to FoDDC for potential allocation. Sites must be submitted by the 31st March 2023, to be considered as part of the 2023 SHELAA assessment.

It is worth noting that the Call for Sites process is an important source of evidence for the Council, enabling them to update their evidence on housing and employment land availability on a rolling annual basis. However, any assessment undertaken by the Council at this stage does not allocate the sites to be developed nor guarantee a site will be allocated in the future. The allocation of sites for future housing or employment development will be determined through the Forest of Dean Local Plan or neighbourhood plans.

Usefully – the Forest of Dean is currently preparing its new Local Plan and at present it seems that the draft plan is scheduled for consultation in autumn/winter 2023. Therefore, it is a very significant time to submit your land for potential allocation, as if you secure a local plan site allocation then future planning applications will be much more straightforward, with the principle of development accepted.

What makes a good Call for Sites submission?

For the Council to be able to make a fair assessment on the suitability of a new site, or to receive updated information on an existing site, they require a Call for Sites form to be submitted. This should include, but is not limited to:

  • Land ownership details;
  • Site details;
  • Site location plan;
  • Potential uses and capacity;
  • Site suitability issues and mitigation;
  • Site availability issues;
  • Site deliverability issues;
  • Confirmation of whether the site has been submitted previously.

Careful and comprehensive preparation is crucial to ensure your submission clearly presents the suitability of your site for development and how any issues can be mitigated in the future. The team at Plainview Planning are very experienced, not only in assessing the suitability of a site for development, but also in preparing robust and persuasive submissions that showcase the development potential of your site in its best light. We can also help you prepare the necessary supporting information, from assisting with your application form, provision of Location Plans, through to helping you to identify key constraints and strategies to overcome potential planning issues. We also have a network of third party consultants that we work with to provide you with necessary reports for Flood Risk, Contamination, Topography, Heritage etc, should your site require this.

Furthermore, 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.

The deadline for submissions is 31st March 2023. Don’t miss your chance to have your say! If you feel you have a site suitable for housing or employment use and want to understand more about its development potential, then get in touch today. Contact our planning team via enquiries@plainview.co.uk, 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: Forest of Dean District Council Call for Sites 2023