The Council is launching a call for sites that could potentially be used to build houses, employment space, community facilities or for helping nature recover
Every so often local authorities need to collect information about land that might be available, and it is a way for people who might want to develop their land in the future to let us know.
The aim is to provide a valuable early opportunity for individuals, landowners, developers and other interested parties to submit sites that they think could potentially be used for a range of uses in the future.
All councils are obliged to maintain an adequate and up-to-date supply of such sites. This will help Cornwall in formulating a future local plan for beyond 2030. It can also help identify sites to meet particular needs, such or for biodiversity net gain might be needed under the existing local plan which currently provides a positive and flexible planning policy framework for Cornwall up to 2030.
Cllr Olly Monk, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for planning and housing said:
“We need to plan for growth properly by focussing our energy on ensuring that development is well done and properly resourced and by putting infrastructure and the environment at the heart of decision making.
“We want to involve everyone in this process. We are already talking to developers, local communities, and partners to identify suitable sites and now this is an opportunity for anybody to put forward suggestions for where land might be suitable and available to meet the demand for housing, employment or nature uses in the future. We will particularly encourage the reuse of vacant or derelict land.
“It’s important to stress that having land included in the call for sites does not grant planning permission or necessarily mean that a site will be granted permission in the future.
“What it means is that sites that meet some basic tests will be kept on a database and may later be referred to as we work together to develop a future local plan for Cornwall. They may also be used by parish and town councils to help create Neighbourhood Plans.
“We know that we will get far more land suggested than we actually need - land being available doesn’t equal land being developed!
“It also does not mean that the council supports the site for allocation in its new Local Plan, or development through a planning application. Submitted sites will be subject to assessment and future consultation.
“We need to continue to plan for the delivery of much needed homes in Cornwall as we continue to see unprecedented demand. Enabling sustainable communities with the right infrastructure is a key part of the Council’s long-term approach to addressing Cornwall’s housing needs.”
All sites will be initially tested to understand whether they would impact important local or national protections (such as nature sites). Any decision to include a site in a future local plan or neighbourhood plan at a later date would be based on much more detailed testing and public consultation.
All submissions will be made publicly available on our website. Sites put forward are suggestions and are not allocated and may not be supported in planning applications.
We will look at how much and what sorts of developments are needed in Cornwall between now and 2050 in the next Local Plan. This is likely to start formally in 2025 and we will engage widely with communities and stakeholders across Cornwall.
Anybody can nominate their own land or make a suggestion on any other land. 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.
The call for sites runs from 20 February 2024 for eight weeks and is open to anyone that wishes to make a suggestion for land to be considered.
Find out more about the call for sites
