SHELAA Review
Following our call for sites campaigns in 2019 and 2020, we have updated our Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (known as the ‘SHELAA’ for short), which can be viewed at our Evidence and Monitoring Page.
The results of the SHELAA site assessments and various constraints that form part of the site assessment process are available to view as an interactive map.
Interactive SHELAA MapWhat is the SHELAA?
The SHELAA confirms the availability of land and assesses the potential suitability of development sites for allocation in the local plan. It also considers whether development would be achievable and viable. In so doing, it creates a shortlist of candidate sites to take forward for further assessment.
The SHELAA does not allocate land for development and does not grant planning permission for development.
The SHELAA is one of a number of evidence studies that the Council is required to produce to help us understand various issues, and which helps us decide which sites should be allocated in the Local Plan. It can also be used by Neighbourhood Planning groups who want to allocate land for development in Neighbourhood Plans.
How can I get involved?
The SHELAA will form part of an upcoming consultation on the first stage of the Local Plan Partial Update. This will give everyone the chance to feed back on the report, and we especially want people participate in the consultation once it starts. In so doing, you can tell us if there are any factual inaccuracies with the SHELAA site assessments, if there is anything that we’ve missed, or if you agree with the site assessments. As soon as the consultation starts we will publish details on our website, social media and in our e-newsletter.
What happens to my comments and how will they be reflected in the SHELAA?
We have to keep the SHELAA under regular review, as the situation surrounding potential development sites is continually changing. We anticipate that we will need to undertake a further update to the SHELAA before the Local Plan Partial Update is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination. This will take consideration of any responses to the Local Plan consultation.
What happens next?
We will also be commencing further assessment work on the shortlisted sites – for example, flood risk assessment, infrastructure capacity/delivery, accessibility testing, viability appraisal, and so on.
To reiterate, we are at start of the process of updating the Local Plan. We would really like you to participate in the upcoming Local Plan consultation and provide your feedback on the SHELAA as part of that consultation.
Want to submit a new site?
We accept new site submissions at any time, which we can assess in the next SHELAA review. You can do this by completing a site submission form with:
- a brief description of the proposal;
- details of site ownership; and
- a map (preferably 1:1250 scale) with the site area outlined in red.
Call for Sites Form (SHELAA New Site Form) - docx - 28 Kb
Please send in the form by email where possible. Submissions can be made by:
- emailing Local.Plan@cotswold.gov.uk (email limit is 10 MB)
- posting them to Forward Planning, Cotswold District Council, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX