Chance to shape 'long-term plan for how Somerset should develop'
A six week consultation is underway
Last updated 15th Jan 2025
A long-term plan for Somerset is being created - looking at where new homes, traveller sites and business parks could go.
A six-week consultation has started looking at how the county should develop over the next 15 years.
The Government's said it wants to increase housebuilding - both in Somerset and nationally - and the council is asking for potential sites where development could be considered as part of the first local plan under Somerset Council, following the merger of the districts and county council in April 2023.
Cllr Mike Rigby, Executive Member for Economic Development, Planning and Assets, said: “The Call for Sites is a crucial part our work in developing the Somerset Local Plan in line with national policy.
"Understanding the potential supply of land available to meet development needs is a key early step in this process.
“We’re asking our residents and businesses to get involved and suggest land that might be available for possible future development, helping us to identify potential site options for further consideration.
“It’s important to stress that submitting a site for consideration is not the same as making a planning application, does not prejudice future consideration of specific development proposals for a site and by no means guarantees its inclusion in the local plan, it simply helps us build an evidence base from which we can draw up a Local Plan.”
The council is not encouraging submissions in any particular locations. However, the LPA area does not cover parts of Somerset Council that sit within the Exmoor National Park Authority which has its own Local Plan.
The Call for Sites runs from 13 January until 24 February 2025.
"The six-week call for sites will be followed by an assessment of each site’s suitability, availability, and achievability. The findings will be presented in a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) report later this year. This will be one source of evidence to help inform which sites might be considered for allocation in formal consultations for the Somerset Local Plan.
"Local Plans guide decision making on future development proposals based on the needs and opportunities of the area, identifying where development should take place and areas where development should be restricted."
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