New Forest District Council open to suggestions for sites to develop

The Council said spaces in the National Park won't be considered.

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 1st Nov 2024

People living in the New Forest are being invited to submit potential sites for development as part of the District Council's (NFDC) review of the Local Plan.

The 'Call for Sites' is a chance for landowners, communities, developers and site promoters to suggest possible land suitable for development, or that could be used in a more productive way.

The NFDC says it will only consider suggestions outside of the National Park. The deadline for suggestions is Friday 13th December at 11:59pm.

People can make site suggestions on NFDC’s website.

Cllr Derek Tipp, portfolio holder for planning and economy, said:

“We’re interested to hear about potential land in the New Forest district that could be used for the community, housing, and employment. The Call for Sites will help us to update our evidence base of potentially suitable and available land for these purposes.

“As part of our ongoing commitment towards reducing our impact on the environment, we’re also looking for suggestions about land that’s suitable for nature recovery, or biodiversity, carbon, nitrogen or phosphate offsetting."

It's also part of a process to gather evidence for the NFDC's review of the Local Plan, which will help the council to set a vision for the future of the area, and a strategy for how, when, and where needs of the community will be met. This includes addressing housing needs and provides policies to address specific matters.

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