Northumberland Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment – Notice of site assessment consultation
The County Council is consulting on draft site assessments which have been prepared as part of the update to the Northumberland Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).
In order to boost significantly the supply of housing, the National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to prepare a SHLAA. The SHLAA:
- Identifies sites with potential for housing;
- Assesses how many dwellings may be accommodated on a site with potential for housing development; and
- Assesses when sites are likely to be developed.
It is important to stress that the SHLAA is not a policy document. It does not allocate sites for residential use or indicate whether they will be granted planning permission. It is part of the evidence base for the emerging Northumberland Local Plan.
Anyone can submit a site into the SHLAA. Sites included within the SHLAA are assessed in line with the Northumberland SHLAA methodology which is based on national guidance. This assesses whether sites are suitable, available and achievable, and is quite distinct from the process by which planning applications are determined.
Since the first Northumberland SHLAA was published in May 2012, additional sites have been put forward for consideration. Draft site assessments have been prepared for the new sites submitted and in addition, reassessments have taken place on sites within Northumberland’s larger settlements. The draft assessments have been informed by comments from a range of consultees.
The County Council is inviting the submission of new and additional information in relation to the sites. This may relate to constraints which affect a site’s suitability, its availability for housing development or additional costs which may affect the viability of developing a site.
You can access information about the SHLAA, the site assessments and the consultation exercise at www.northumberland.gov.uk/shlaa. A response form for submitting comments may also be downloaded there.
The consultation runs from Wednesday 20 August to Wednesday 24 September 2014.
