Seeking sites for housing and commercial development

A ‘Call for Sites’ consultation has just been launched by South Gloucestershire Council and will run until the 20th October 2020. This is a great opportunity for landowners, groups of individuals, developers and agents to submit sites to South Gloucestershire Council for potential allocation in the new Local Plan.

The last Call for Sites exercise was undertaken in 2018 and, as a result of the withdrawal of the West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP), the Council have had to revise the scope of their Local Plan and the timetable for producing it. As part of this process they are now undertaking a new Call for Sites consultation which represents an important opportunity to put your site forward for potential future allocation.

What types of development are needed in South Gloucestershire?

Although all submitted sites will be considered for their development potential and how they might contribute to the plan’s overarching objectives, for a site to be considered for potential allocation the Council are specifically seeking those that, as a minimum:

are capable of delivering 5 or more new homes;
are capable of delivering employment / commercial development on sites of 0.25 hectares (or 500 square metres of floor space) and above.

This Call for Sites consultation presents a significant opportunity to put your land forward for development. And, if you successfully secure an allocation, whilst this isn’t a grant of planning permission, what it does show is that the Council is agreeing to the principle of developing that site for a particular purpose. This should make the future process of securing planning permission more straightforward.

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;
Location plan;
Uses being sought;
Site suitability issues and mitigation.

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.

Examples of further ways in which we add value to land enquiries and Call for Sites submissions include:

Site analysis to see if your land meets the necessary requirements;
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 20th October 2020. 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 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. 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.