Landowners and developers in the Wyre Forest area are being urged to act now and respond to a ‘call for sites’ initiative by the local authority.

Steve Hemming, Head of Planning and Development Consultancy at Lambert Smith Hampton’s Birmingham office, said Wyre Forest District Council’s review of the core strategy to create a new local plan for development up to 2035 offered the ideal opportunity for landowners and developers to put forward suitable pockets of land for consideration.

Planning policy team seeking sites for residential or commercial projects

As part of the consultation, which ends on September 30, the authority’s planning policy team is seeking sites in or on the edge of towns and villages for residential or commercial projects.
 
Importantly, because the “call for sites” will update information already held on the council’s databases, the planning policy team has advised developers and landowners to re-submit any information previously sent in or it will assume the sites are no longer available.
 
“This call for sites presents an immediate opportunity for landowners and developers to commence the promotion of their land and buildings as future development sites,” he said.
 
“Understanding the amount and locations of available for deliverable housing and commercial land is critical to the authority’s preparation and soundness when it is passed to the Secretary of State and independently examined.
 
“With the deadline looming land owners should be making this call for sites initiative a priority in the management of their property portfolio."

Wyre Forest District Council is looking for sites that are:

• Located within or adjoining an existing town or village
• Large enough to accommodate five or more dwellings (normally 0.25ha), or 500m2 of commercial floorspace in Kidderminster or Stourport-on-Severn, or more than one dwelling in Bewdley and rural villages  
• Within the Wyre Forest District boundary 
• Should not be of excessive size in relation to the size of the existing settlement.

Steve added: “The call for sites is looking only at land availability and will not mean that those proposed will be considered favourably or be allocated for development. Once submissions are received, they will go through the usual development plan process.”
 
A site suggestion form is available to download from the council’s website at www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/planningpolicy.