Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
In accordance with Government guidance, Wealden District Council has begun the process of undertaking a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). The purpose of the SHLAA is to identify sites with housing potential in order to assess the potential of the District to accommodate additional residential development. The aim is for the Council to produce a report that will outline the amount of land available in the District for housing development. The final report will form part of the evidence base for Wealden District Council's Local Development Framework (LDF).
Please note that the Assessment is not a statement of Council policy and does not allocate land for future housing sites. Therefore, inclusion of a site within the assessment does not mean that the site will be allocated for housin now or in the future. It is for the Local Development framework process to select sites for future development.
Methodology
Prior to undertaking the SHLAA, the Council prepared a Draft Methodology document for consultation before a final version was produced. The consultation period for the SHLAA Draft Methodology has now ended and the comments and recommendations that were submitted have now been considered and incorporated, where appropriate. The final draft of the SHLAA methodolgy can be found below. This document contains an explanation of the SHLAA process and sets out the Council's methodology for undertaking the assessment.
The SHLAA Methodology (Final Draft)
Identification of sites
In order to identify any potential land that may be suitable for housing development, the Council invited landowners, agents and persons who know of a site to submit certain details of a potential site or sites to be considered within the Wealden SHLAA.
In addition to inviting persons to submit sites to be included within the SHLAA the Council will also be undertaking a desktop survey / study of any other potential sites within the District. The methods by the Council will identify sites is outlined within the SHLAA Methodology.
Submitting sites for the Wealden SHLAA ...
The closing date for sites to be included in the first SHLAA was 3rd October 2008. However, should you have missed the closing date but wish to submit a site for the SHLAA please contact Kelly Sharp on (01892) 602480 as you may still be able to submit the required information and map in order for the site to be assessed. Should this be the case, you may download the relevant guidance notes, forms and information sheet below and send your form together with a suitable map to Head of Planning and Environmental Policy, SHLAA Consultation, Planning Policy, Wealden District Council, Pine Grove, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1DH
Potential new housing site form
We will acknowledge all forms and maps within ten days of receipt.
What's next ...
In response tothe Council's invitation to submit potential sites for housing the Council has received in excess of 260 site submissions. The Council is now working towards visiting and assessing both the submitted sites and sites that have been identified by the Council's desktop survey. The sites will be assessed against certain criteria. These criteria can be viewed in appendix A of the final SHLAA methodology. Once all the necessary information is gathered an assessment will be made as to whether a site has the potential to be developed for housing.
Please note that the SHLAA does not allocate land for future housing sites. The SHLAA will simply assess as many options as possible for accommodating residential development in order to highlight the choices available to best meet the need and demand for more housing and whether and what action may be required to ensure that sites become deliverable.
Should you have any further questions at this stage please do not hesitate to contact either:
Duncan Morrison on (01892) 602497
Email: duncan.morrison@wealden.gov.uk
or
Kelly Sharp on (01892) 602513
Email: kelly.sharp@wealden.gov.uk
