A Call For Sites (CFS) is a process by which councils ask for any interested parties (including landowners and developers) to propose land sites which may have potential for future development, to support housing or employment in the area. The information submitted on “available land” is used as evidence by local authorities (LPAs) to actively prepare options for future growth and town or village planning. Here we explore how the process works, and offer our top tips for using CFS to drive your pipeline of development land.

Why the need for a call for sites?

LPAs require to prepare a local development plan to help inform future planning related activities in their local area. In essence, the plan is the local guide as to what can be built, and where. To comply with Government policy, it must include a “robust evidence base” (UK Gov, 2015) that it meets assessed housing needs in line with national planning policy. For LPAs this includes identification, and maintenance, of a five-year land supply of potentially suitable (ie deliverable) development sites.

Details of individual local plans can be easily sourced via the Searchland strategic mapping tools, per the example illustrated below. Simply select the relevant mapping layers from our control center.

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The importance for all involved

The Call For Sites is one way for an LPA to identify a reliable source of sites for further consideration and to inform their planning strategy. As well as taking stock of what land is available for development, it is a means to gauge where there is both landowner and developer interest - a positive step towards showing viability and deliverability of their five-year land bank.

For developers, this is a rare opportunity to have a site assessed for review for inclusion as part of future planned development, whilst actively helping the LPA to meet their obligations. This is also an excellent opportunity to engage with and encourage landowners to act quickly to promote and realise their developable asset.

In other words, a win-win for all involved.

How does the process work?

Have a look at the CFS pages on Rydale, Mendip and Southend On Sea Council websites for up to date examples. In practice this is likely to involve submission of a Site Identification Form including details of the site and proposed development. Anyone can submit a proposal – there is no need to own the land – so for developers there is an obvious symbiosis in submitting a joint application with a landowner. Note, this is a distinct and separate process from a speculative planning application.

It is important to note that a Call For Sites is not a guarantee of planning permission, but simply an opportunity to have sites assessed. For the LPA, the idea is to create a potential land pool for inclusion in future local plans.

Sites may be assessed via a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) or Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) for their suitability and deliverability – see our recent blog for a fuller explanation of this.

This screenshot (below) derived from the Searchland SHLAA mapping tool shows how sites are designated as “negative,” neutral” and “positive” for development. You can drill down within our live interface for more details of each, including the decision making process.

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What type of land will be considered?

The HELAA guidelines for LPAs suggest that sites must be capable of supporting 5 or more homes or economic development on 0.25 ha (or 500 sq m floorspace). That said, it recommends assessment of a broad range of sites, from small scale to large settlements – so offering plenty of scope for developers. The guidelines also offer an insight into the methods used for assessment of sites.

Land uses may include:

Housing – for general needs, affordable housing and supported living

Economic – offices, industrial and business premises

Other Commercial – including retail, leisure, culture and tourism.

(Source: Mendip District Council)

Local planning restrictions will apply (such as environmental considerations). A good idea is to look at current planning applications (including those that have failed) for clues on what will impact your submissions.

What is a deliverable site?

According to NPPF policy, to be considered deliverable, housing sites should be “available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered …within five years”. In practice this means that LPAs are likely to look very favourably on land areas that already have developer interest.

Tips for using call for sites to drive your development pipeline

As a Call for Sites may only be open for a brief period, the key is to act quickly, and know how to make the most of this opportunity.  If you have not already done so, get in touch for a one-to-one demo with our team. Meantime, here are our top tips for using the call to sites to your advantage:

1) Locate calls for sites

The first step is to find councils that are actively promoting a CFS, ahead of your competitors.

Happily, Searchland has incorporated a useful filter within the strategic mapping toolkit, which lets you instantly see which LPAs are actively calling for sites. Used in conjunction with other overlays (including the Five Year Housing Land supply and Housing Delivery Test Results), you can also see where any sites you source have the highest chance of being reviewed, and approved, by the relevant authority.

2) Find suitable development sites

Even simpler! Searchland's comprehensive database lets you search and source general locations or specific sites which may be suitable for promotion. You can also use the SHLAA map overlay to screen the results of past assessments, and gather relevant data to improve your chances of a successful application. Read our recent feature on using SHLAA data to leverage your land search.

3) Write to landowners

Searchland also lets you source details of land ownership (from the Land Registry), which means that you can easily find contact details for potential opportunities. What is more, our handy direct to vendor tool enables you to seamlessly create, customise and send letters direct to landowners, direct from hte platform.

We are a big believer in writing multiple letters and have spoken about it previously in our feature on letter sending. Personalisation is key, and a good rule of thumb for letter writing is: “why you - why now - why me – why us”

Why You: You are in a council with a currently active Call For Sites

Why Now: Time limits may apply and/or this may close once sufficient land is available.

Why Me: Expand on your knowledge and experience as a developer.

If relevant:

Why Us: Your collaboration will be of mutual benefit.

As part of this, stress the importance of what this means for them as a landowner. This is also a fantastic opportunity to re-engage with landowners that you may have contacted previously, and to reach out fresh to any failed SHLAA applications. Research shows that, when done right, direct mail can be a highly effective way of opening doors to your target market.

Conclusion

The Call For Sites is one method by which local councils seek to meet their strategic planning obligations, through creating a bank of land sites for future developments. This is a rare (and often time bound) opportunity to have sites assessed as part of future local planning strategy. With the help of Searchland you can actively source land and contact prospective landowners, to make the most of this important opportunity. For more information, or to try out the platform, get in touch with our team.

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