Propose a site for potential development

The Call for Sites is a technical exercise to identify potential sites for development, redevelopment, and alternative uses in which all relevant sites submitted will be assessed for their suitability, availability, and achievability, in accordance with National Planning Practice Guidance. 

It is important to note that potential sites identified through this process does not automatically mean that new development will be built, a planning application still needs to be submitted.  

Anyone can submit a site for consideration from property developers to landowners, councils to community land trusts, and anyone with an interest in the city.  
 
You will first need to register your details on the online tool in order to submit a site.  View the privacy note here.

We encourage the submission of a wide range of sites capable of accommodating uses including, but not limited to: 

• Housing development (including specialist housing provision) of five dwellings or more, or on sites larger than 0.25ha 
• Office, manufacturing and industrial, or warehousing and logistics development providing 500 sqm floorspace or more, or on sites larger than 0.25ha 
• Other commercial uses, for example retail and leisure 
• Mixed use development 
• Community or cultural facilities 
• Other uses such as renewable energy generation, minerals extraction, community forest or woodland 

Land that includes the most significant constraints or environmental protection may need to be excluded from sites being assessed for built development and, as a result, may be excluded from the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and Brownfield Land Register. This includes land wholly within: 

• A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 
• A Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) 
• A Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) including land on or crossing the line of Hadrian's Wall 
• A Historic Park or Garden 
• Flood Zone 3 – functional flood plain 

Assessing a site is a technical process and while we are trying to identify as many opportunities for potential development as possible, we assess sites against constraints while considering the City’s needs.  

We are required to assess sites using these categories, as they are set out in the Housing and economic land availability assessment guidance from government. 

The factors we need to assess include: 

• The suitability of development: Is development consistent with our current policy? Does it contravene any national or local guidance? Can any constraints be satisfactorily mitigated?  
• Availability of development: Is land controlled by a developer or landowner who has expressed an intention to develop the land?
• Whether the development is achievable is whether the development is assessed as being viable and deliverable. 

We are using Place Maker, a new digital platform, to carry out the Call for Sites. It provides a clear process for submitting sites as part of our evidence gathering process. 

You can upload files with the submission, please note the size limit is 10mb per file.

To assess sites, we need you to provide specific information in a digital format, including: 

• Site location 
• Site boundary (you can identify the existing land registry or draw your own)  
• Contact details (and type of interest in the site) 
• Land ownership (type and contact details) and any legal issues 
• Planning history (where relevant) 
• Intended uses 
• Timing of potential land availability to completion of development 
• Site specifics (current use, access to the highway, site costs, and constraints) 
• Details of any site investigations 
• Any site proposals and preferred land use(s) 
• Any estimated development site capacity 
• Any proposals for adapting to climate change 

Alternatively, if you would like to Suggest a Site, (but you are not the landowner, developer, or agent) and do not have the information above all we need is: 

• Site boundaries – you can identify the existing land registry site or draw your own on our platform 
• Site land uses suggestions 

After the closing date we will assess the suitability, availability, and achievability of each site in accordance with our Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) 

  In spring 2023, we will invite stakeholders, as part of this assessment, to participate in a panel discussion where we will feedback initial findings and seek participants views. Before this session, you will be provided with a copy of the initial findings for consideration.   

  We will publish the results of the assessments in the updated Draft HELAA (2023) later in 2023.  

Anonymous proposals cannot be accepted.  By registering your details on the online tool, this will allow us to contact you for further information.  We will require ownership details, if known, to confirm the genuine availability of the site for the proposed uses.

View the privacy note here.