Project Description
Client: Various Including Housebuilders, Pubic Bodies, Development Companies and Private Individuals
Location: East Midlands
Local Authority: Various
Sector: Residential Developers
Project Status: Complete/On-Going
DPDS have been appointed by a range of housebuilders, public bodies, development companies and private individuals to assist them in promoting their land through the Local Plan process with the aim of obtaining a site allocation within an emerging Local Plan.
The process of promoting land through the Local Plan process can be long and complex and therefore it is essential that we are able to assist our clients at an early stage in the Local Plan production or review process.
For all projects, we will issue initial advice to clients on the potential of their land to be considered suitable as a Local Plan allocation. We promote sites through the following methods:
- At Call for Sites stage to support SHEELA evidence bases;
- At Issues and Options Stage;
- At Preferred Options Stage;
- At Submission Stage; and
- At Examination Stage.
Typically we will prepare the necessary submissions at each stage in the process which demonstrate that the site in question is suitable, available and achievable for residential development in the short to medium term.
We will seek to demonstrate that the site is free from physical and environmental constraints and set out the relevant sustainability credentials.
Where necessary, we will identify necessary technical work to be undertaken in support of the submission which may include, but is not limited to, illustrative scheme layouts, landscape assessments, transport and infrastructure assessments, ecological and noise surveys, desk based contaminated land assessments and heritage assessments.
We prepare detailed submission documents which address the questions posed by each round of consultation but which also provide robust information to support arguments for allocating sites for housing. Where necessary, we will also undertake a review of other locally promoted sites or proposed allocations to objectively assess their suitability, availability and deliverability as housing sites and performance against relevant objectives.
Where a site includes land within the Green Belt, we assist our clients by promoting their land through the Green Belt Review process alongside the Local Plan process, seeking to identify and make robust arguments which demonstrate how the land fails to contribute effectively to the five purposes of including land within the Green Belt:
- To check the un-restricted sprawl of large built up areas;
- To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another;
- To assist in protecting the countryside from encroachment;
- To preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
- To assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
Key to our work is to undertake close liaison with the Local Planning Authority throughout the process, ensuring a continuous dialogue regarding the site and closely following the progress of the Plan to ensure that we are well placed to respond quickly to each round of consultation and provide the appropriate information to the LPA in respect of each site.
