Landowners across Andover are being urged to take advantage of a search for new sites for housing and employment.

Test Valley Borough Council is currently looking for sites to accommodate new homes across the area as well as land for employment as part of a review of its Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA).

The council has invited all landowners to submit sites they wish to be considered for allocation through a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise, which is open until June 25, 2021.

The Call for Sites is an opportunity for landowners, developers, agents, and site promoters to submit sites within or partially within TVBC  which are considered to have potential for development for a wide range of land uses.

Sites must provide at least five new homes or for employment provide a minimum of 0.25ha of developable land capable of delivering 500sqm of floor space and landowners must demonstrate why their land is suitable for development and how it would be deliverable.

In a public notice advertisement, TVBC said: “As a requirement of the National Planning Policy Framework, the SHELAA is a technical document which provides information on sites for potential housing, economic development, Gypsy and Travelling Showpeople, Self-Build housing etc. in relation to their suitability, availability and achievability.

“The reasons for undertaking this exercise are: 1) The SHELAA will help to inform future planning documents i.e. Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plans; 2) The SHELAA will also provide the basis for calculating the five year deliverable housing land supply position; 3) The information submitted as part of the Call for Sites will continue to help identify Brownfield Sites to be placed on the 'Brownfield Register' which the Council must legally prepare.

“As part of the SHELAA review, the Council has already contacted existing site promoters who have previously submitted land to the Council, there is no requirement to resubmit sites afresh. This is now the opportunity for landowners to promote any new sites for consideration.

“The SHELAA only identifies sites which have been promoted to the Council, it does not allocate sites. The inclusion of the site in the SHELAA does not imply that the Council would necessarily grant planning permission.

“All promoted sites will be made publicly available. Individual personal details and land ownership details will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Details of the SHELAA review and a site submission form for new sites are available on the Council's website.

For more details about the Call for Site, and to see more public notice advertisements, visit our Public Notice page.