Council looking to identify sites to include in Local Plan

Land owners are being urged to come forward to help inform the development of Stoke-on-Trent’s Local Plan.

The city council is in the process of developing its Local Plan – a statutory document that sets out future housebuilding and investment sites up until 2040 – which will provide a positive vision for the future of Stoke-on-Trent.

The document will guide decisions on future development proposals for the city on everything from housing and roads to shops, businesses and schools, while addressing the needs and opportunities of the area.

As part of the development of the Local Plan, the city council needs to carry out a Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) to enable it to collate details of all available land in the city - this includes existing sites which the council is already aware of and new sites which may not have already been considered through previous SHELAA assessments.

Now land owners, residents and businesses are being urged to come forward and submit any relevant information to help the council assess which sites are available for development and whether or not they can, and should, be considered in the final Local Plan.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: “We want to prioritise housing and sustainable development in the city and are committed to engaging with local residents and key stakeholders to come up with a sound plan which reflects our new priorities for Stoke-on-Trent and also meets the needs of local people and businesses.

“This assessment is an extremely important piece of work for us when it comes to the development of the Local Plan. For us to pull all of this information together we need land owners to proactively engage with us throughout the process to help inform our decisions and the final portfolio of sites.

“We would also encourage residents and businesses to get in touch with us and let us know if there are any sites that they think we need to consider.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the assessment is being invited to fill in the survey available on: www.stoke.gov.uk/callforsites. Alternatively, email plan@stoke.gov.uk.

The deadline for submission is Sunday 27 October.