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Emerging Local Plan 2041

Call for Sites

Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA)

Call for Sites

Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA)

The Council is preparing a new Local Plan which will include a new strategy and planning policies to guide and manage growth and change across the borough to 2041, to ensure that local development is built in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

What is a Local Plan?

The Local Plan is a legal document which the Council are required to prepare following a process set out in legislation and having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Policy Guidance.

The Local Plan is an important legal document which provides an opportunity to:

  • shape the places that we live, work and socialise;
  • address needs and opportunities in relation to local housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure;
  • have a positive impact on the natural and built environment; and
  • mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Once adopted, the new Local Plan will replace the current Ashford Local Plan 2030.

Latest news

The Council have recently undertaken a Call for Sites. The Call for Sites was held in September - November 2023 and invited landowners, developers and other interested parties to submit sites, or suggest land that may potentially be available for inclusion in the Local Plan, to help meet development requirements for a variety of different uses.

The Call for Sites is now closed.

From Monday 18 March 2024, all sites submitted as part of the Ashford Local Plan 2041 Call for Sites exercise will be available to view on our Consultation Portal.

At this stage, this is a list of submitted sites published for information purposes only.

TO DATE, NO SITE ASSESSMENTS HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN AND NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE ON ANY OF THE SITES SUBMITTED.

What is the next stage in the process?

The next stage in the process will involve assessing the suitability, availability and achievability of sites for development.  This will be done through a process known as a Housing & Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).

The work undertaken as part of the HELAA will help to inform the spatial strategy for planned growth within the borough to 2041.

View further information about the HELAA.

What is the Local Plan process?

Local Plan progress listing the stages and an icon showing whether the stage is complete or underway. The following stages are complete: Call for sites and Call for Site submissions. The following stages are underway: Assess sites through the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and Evidence gathering and preparation for Regulation 18 public consultation. The following stages have not yet started: Regulation 18 public consultation, Preparation for Regulation 19 public consultation, Regulation 19 public consultation on the pre-submission draft of the Local Plan, Regulation 22 Submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State, Regulation 22 Examination of the Local Plan, Regulation 22 Modifications consultation, Regulation 22 Inspector's final report on the examination of the Local Plan, Adoption of the Local Plan.

What is the Local Plan timetable?

The timetable for producing the new Local Plan is set out in our Local Development Scheme.

View the latest Local Plan timetable.

How do I get involved?

We want local people and communities, businesses and other interested parties to be involved and have their say.

To get involved and be kept informed on the progress of the emerging Local Plan please sign up to join the Have Your Say Consultation Portal.

You can see more about how we consult and involve local communities, businesses, and organisation in our Statement of Community Involvement [pdf] 1064KB.