Cornwall Council’s call for sites has now opened and will run initially between 20 February and 22 April 2024. The Council has a duty to maintain an adequate and up-to-date supply of sites which are suitable for housing, employment and other types of development, as well as potential Biodiversity Net Gain sites.
One of the main ways they can assess the availability of new potential development sites is through a ‘call for sites exercise’. This provides a valuable early opportunity for individuals, landowners, developers and other interested parties to submit their sites or broad locations to the Council for inclusion on a database of sites from which potential future development sites may be selected through the local plan process.
To be considered, sites must:
- have an area of at least 0.25 hectares or be capable of accommodating 5+ dwellings or 500+ sqm of employment floorspace.
- the land must be located within or next to an existing settlement or in a sustainable location;
- the land must NOT be within a designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protected Areas (SPA), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Flood Zone 3b. The land should not already have planning permission for residential-led development.
Andy England (Associate Director) advised ‘this is an important early stage in the Council’s preparation of a new Local Plan. Whilst not a guarantee of obtaining planning permission, having a site submitted will at the very least help to put down a marker as to the sites potential as a future allocation. Should anyone feel they have a site and need assistance or guidance with the process, Chapman Lily can assist.’
