We have re-opened the ‘call for sites’ as part of our evidence gathering process as we continue work on the new Tonbridge and Malling Local Plan.
This provides a further opportunity for landowners, site promoters and stakeholders to suggest potential sites that may be suitable for housing or employment development or for other uses that could provide benefits to communities.
Please note that if you have already submitted a site, then you do not need to resubmit this.
Sites can be submitted until 5pm on 26 March.
What sites can I submit?
We are interested to hear about additional opportunities for a range of land uses, including:
- Housing (market, affordable, specialist accommodation, self and custom build)
- Gypsy and Traveller pitches
- Employment (office, light industrial, warehouse and distribution)
- Retail and leisure
- Renewable energy generation (sites for solar, wind, hydro power, community led renewable energy initiatives)
- Community uses (public open space, sports and / or recreation)
- Other nature recovery or biodiversity net gain projects
- Land to mitigate climate change impacts (such as flood management and carbon sequestration).
We will be particularly interested to hear about potential sites for development, re-use or redevelopment in our towns and villages, or on land that is previously developed (brownfield land).
What size of sites are we looking for?
- For inclusion in the Land Availability Assessment (LAA), the site must be capable of delivering five or more dwellings, or for economic development the site must be at least 0.25 hectares (or capable of delivering at least 500 square metres of floor space). Gypsy and traveller sites should be capable of accommodating at least one pitch or plot.
- For inclusion on the Brownfield Land Register, the site must be at least of 0.25 hectares or capable of supporting at least five dwellings.
Why are we undertaking a further call for sites?
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to maintain an up-to-date evidence base of land that is theoretically available for future development. The call for sites will inform our evidence base, which along with other evidence will help inform the new Local Plan.
How can I submit a site to be considered?
Sites can be submitted online until 5pm on 26 March, via our Placemaker site.
You do not need to submit sites already submitted as part of a previous call for sites exercise. However, you may update or amend information on your previous submission by logging in using your sign-in credentials.
If you have any queries related to the call for sites, then please email - LAA@tmbc.gov.uk
Do I need to do anything if I have submitted a site previously?
If you submitted a site before 2019 in paper copy form, we request that you complete a call for sites submission digitally, so that we can update the information that we hold. It will also let us know that you still wish us to consider your site. This can be done via Placemaker.
If you submitted your site digitally via Placemaker previously, then you do not need to do anything at this stage. Please do not resubmit your site. If site promoters wish to update information previously provided including site boundaries and / or other relevant information, we request that you follow the link above to Placemaker and update details as required. Please follow the ‘amend site details’ option.
What do I do, if I no longer wish for the site to be considered within the LAA?
If you have previously submitted a site and it is no longer available or you do not wish for the site to be considered, please email the planning policy team to withdraw the site using the following email address - laa@tmbc.gov.uk. Please include the site reference number and address in your communication so that officers can correctly identify the site to be withdrawn.
If I submit a site, what will happen next?
The site will be subject to a detailed assessment to evaluate whether the site is suitable, available and deliverable and if this is the case will be put forward for further consideration in the local plan process as a potential allocation in the new Local Plan.
It is important to note that submitting a site does not mean that the site will be allocated or that the site is suitable for development. The LAA is a high-level assessment that is used as a starting point to decide whether sites could be allocated in the new Local Plan. Before sites are put forward for allocation, other evidence and information will be considered and sites will be put through a comprehensive sustainability appraisal assessment. Brownfield sites will also be considered for inclusion on the council’s Brownfield Land Register.