Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment

LATEST NEWS

The Council undertook a Call for Sites in June - July 2011 and received a large number of sites suggested for housing development, many more than are needed to sustain our local economy and meet local housing needs. Each of the sites received has been considered against the initial location and size criteria (as set out below) and those that met the criteria have been registered and will now be assessed through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).

The list of sites that have been registered has now been published: Call for Sites - List of Registered Sites (first published: 28 September 2011, updated: 15 May 2012).

The sites that have been registered are also available to view using the SHLAA Interactive Map and SHLAA Interactive List of Registered Sites. The sites that have been registered have been published for information only.

All registered sites will now be formally assessed, with input from the Housing Market Partnership, to determine their potential suitability, availability and achievability for housing development. The identification of sites as technically having potential for housing does not indicate that they will necessarily be allocated for housing in the new South Cambridgeshire Development Plan. Any sites that are identified as potentially being suitable will then be assessed against wider planning policy considerations. From these assessments, the Council will identify the best site options for housing development for further consideration.

Public consultation on potential site allocations will form part of the Issues & Options consultation, which is anticipated to take place in Summer 2012. The SHLAA report will be published at the same time, as one of a number of supporting studies. Only following that consultation will the Council decide the sites it intends to allocate for housing development. The South Cambridgeshire Development Plan will go through a further stage of public consultation and examination by an independent Planning Inspector before it is finalised and adopted.

What is the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)?

The Council is embarking on the preparation of a new South Cambridgeshire Development Plan, which will set out the planning policies to guide the development and use of the land in the district up to 2031. The first stage of the plan making process will be public consultation on potential policies and site options for development (referred to as Issues and Options) in Summer 2012.

A range of studies need to be undertaken to provide evidence to help the Council prepare the new South Cambridgeshire Development Plan. A key study is the production of a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), which is a technical assessment of sites to determine whether they may have potential to be suitable for housing.

Further information on the SHLAA and the process to be undertaken is set out in the Council's Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Call for Sites document.

The Council has formed a Housing Market Partnership (HMP) to assist the Council with the assessment of potential sites.

What is the Housing Market Partnership?

The Housing Market Partnership (HMP) is representative of key stakeholders in the district with skills, knowledge and expertise in housing delivery. The HMP representatives and the role of HMP are set out in the Terms of Reference of the HMP.

What is the Call for Sites?

The Call for Sites is an opportunity for anyone (e.g. landowners, developers, housing associations, parish councils) to suggest sites that they think are suitable, available and deliverable for housing development. Land can also be suggested through this process specifically for Gypsy & Traveller sites or sites for Travelling Showpeople.

Sites suggested must be:

able to accommodate 10 or more dwellings and at least 0.25 hectares; and
within or adjoining one of the larger better served villages in the district OR a strategic scale of development (e.g. an urban extension to Cambridge or a new Settlement).

Land specifically for Gypsy and Traveller sites will be considered within 1 kilometre of a settlement development framework boundary.

The Call for Sites finished on Friday 29 July 2011.

Call for Sites Documents

Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Call for Sites document
Frequently Asked Questions
Call for Sites Questionnaire [electronic]
Call for Sites Questionnaire [paper]

If you would like further information on the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, or any other matter relating to the Local Development Framework, please either e-mail the Planning Policy section on ldf@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window), or phone (01954) 713183.