About Call for Sites
We are currently in the process of updating the Local Plan for Central Bedfordshire. As part of this there will be a need to allocate sites for new homes and jobs, and potentially supporting infrastructure.
What's happened so far
Our Local Plan 'Call For Sites' took place between November 2024 and January 2025.
626 sites were put forward, for various uses, including: residential, commercial, renewable energy and green spaces.
Of course, this is just the total number of sites that have been put forward for consideration and the Council has not yet conducted all the analysis which will be required before a view can be taken on which of these sites are suitable for the proposed use.
Initial assessment – residential
For those sites submitted for residential use, we have carried out an initial assessment to validate the submissions (removing any duplicates or errors) and identifying whether there are any obvious factors that would justify excluding the sites at this early stage of the process. This includes:
- Sites that are too small to deliver a minimum of 10 new homes, or couldn't do so once absolute constraint areas have been removed (such as National Landscapes, SSSIs, sites already allocated/with planning permission and those in the highest flood risk areas) have been removed.
- Land where there is a legal or landowner impediment to development. This could be where land has been submitted without the permission of the landowner or where there is no confirmation that the site can be developed for the proposed use.
- Sites that are not well-connected to an existing settlement (i.e. not directly next to the edge of a settlement and unable to benefit from existing infrastructure) but not large enough to deliver a new settlement with its own infrastructure. To be considered as a standalone development, there would need to be enough homes to provide the new infrastructure required to support that development (such as schools). This is likely to be a site that can provide more than 1000 homes.
As a result of this initial assessment, 174 sites have been initially discounted for the delivery of new homes. These sites still need to be assessed for other uses such as Gypsy and Traveller provision and employment use (where they have been put forward for those uses). There are also some sites we have discounted that may not be suitable on their own but could be reconsidered alongside other sites that have either been submitted or are in emerging Local Plans being prepared by neighbouring councils.
The full list of submitted sites (identifying those that have currently been discounted for residential use) can be found here:
View or download ward schedules (PDF)
We have an interactive map that shows the location of the sites that have been submitted, and what type of development they have been promoted for.
Remaining sites
The remaining sites will now go through a rigorous assessment process to determine whether they could be considered for future development.
This will involve assessing criteria such as:
- proximity to existing facilities (e.g. schools, public transport connections, GP surgeries and green spaces)
- flood risk
- whether there is any impact on the environment and heritage assets (e.g. scheduled monuments)
- accessibility
- land ownership
A judgement will then be made on whether each site can be considered suitable, available and achievable in line with national planning policies.
Sites that meet these criteria will go into a shortlist, which is called a Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA). The SLAA identifies all sites that might have the potential for development. We are aiming to complete the SLAA towards the end of the year. Being in the SLAA does not mean that a site will be included in the Local Plan.
Public consultation
A first draft of the Local Plan (known as issues and options) will be published for consultation in early 2026. This will consider options for the location of new development e.g. should growth be located near to existing infrastructure or should new settlements be prioritised. These high-level options will be based upon the sites that have been submitted, but the SLAA sites will be considered against a range of studies and evidence, as well as the response and outcomes of public engagement, before any decisions are made about which sites are allocated in the Local Plan.
Our FAQs below provide further information about the call for sites process and why it is required.
For further information or assistance, please contact localplan@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
No. Anyone can submit a site, but it does not mean it is suitable for development. A rigorous site assessment process will be undertaken to identify those sites which could be considered for growth. Following that, further formal consultation will be undertaken to review options around site selection. Only after this has happened will we determine which sites should be allocated for new development. This will take into account many factors, including evidence studies and the response to the public consultation. At this stage, we are not looking for comments on sites. We have published all the sites at this early stage as we want everyone to be able to see what has been submitted to us. All the sites still need to be assessed and we wouldn’t want everyone to spend time commenting on sites that may not be chosen anyway for technical reasons (i.e. flooding). There will be an opportunity to comment on the location of any new growth during the first formal consultation on the draft Local Plan (called Regulation 18 or ‘issues and options’) that is scheduled for early next year. After this we are intending to run some workshops with ward members and town and parish councils to review the sites that have been shortlisted following assessment, so we can understand whether there are any issues or opportunities that we need to be aware of. There will be an opportunity for everyone to comment on specific sites that we’re proposing to allocate for development at the final stage of plan preparation (Regulation 19), when a further public consultation will be undertaken. This is a very important stage as any comments made will be sent to a Planning Inspector, who will independently assess whether the right strategy and sites have been chosen. There are 2 formal stages of consultation that local plans have to go through when they are being prepared. These are called Regulation 18 and Regulation 19 in the planning legislation. Regulation 18 is the first formal opportunity to comment on the plan and we can choose how much detail we want to present at this stage. We are going to consult on an ‘issues and options’ document that will set out what we think the Local Plan should include, as well as different ideas and we will be asking for comments on which ones should be taken forward. At Regulation 19 stage we are required to publish our draft Local Plan, that confirms how many homes and jobs we’ll be planning for, the strategy for growth including the sites we have chosen to allocate, and specific policies that will help shape and control growth (such as design, transport, heritage and biodiversity). With 626 sites to consider (even though some have been removed as part of an initial process), we are not expecting to complete the initial assessment process until the end of 2025. We will be assessing sites in a number of stages: Officers are currently working hard to assess the submitted sites. Once complete, a Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) will be published that lists all sites considered to be suitable, available and achievable, and so could be considered for development. A public consultation will be undertaken early next year (2026) to gather views on many issues, including where new development should be located. All evidence, including the consultation responses, will be used to determine which sites should be allocated. Our draft Local Plan will include the sites we think should be allocated to meet our housing and employment needs. The draft plan will be subject to approval by Full Council before it is published for Regulation 19 consultation in autumn 2027. The plan is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State in December 2028 and will then be subject to a Public Examination process, where it will be reviewed by an independent Planning Inspector. We’ve been gathering your feedback on what makes a great place to live and what the future ‘Local Plan’ for Central Bedfordshire should look like. The Local Plan seeks to set out a vision and framework for the future development of the area. In it, we hope to ensure homes and jobs in the right places, with the necessary facilities and services, while protecting the environment as much as possible. To make sure we have all of this in place, we are now asking for your help once again to support this Local Plan. We will be doing what is officially called a ‘Call for Sites’, which simply means asking people to suggest the right places for future development, for us to then investigate. Initially, we were specifically looking for ‘Brownfield’ sites - land that has been built on previously and is now maybe empty or derelict. However, whilst the Brownfield Call for Sites has identified some potential opportunities for future housing and employment growth that we will want to assess further, from an initial review, it is apparent Brownfield sites alone will not be sufficient to meet our needs for the next Plan period. We are therefore opening up the Call for Sites for all land across Central Bedfordshire. Anyone can submit a site, including landowners, developers, community groups, and individuals. Whilst you do not need to own a site to submit it to the Call for Sites, it is unlikely we’d be proceeding with sites where there is not clear support from the landowner. The Call for Sites will cover the whole of the Central Bedfordshire area and we’ll be looking for sites that could provide the following land uses: Submitting a potential development site for the Call for Sites is not the same as a planning application. Putting forward a site is the first step in seeking the support of the Council to consider it when they are identifying land for development and other uses. These sites are then assessed, and some may be allocated within the Local Plan. The Local Plan will include policies that show the boundary of the sites allocated and explain the key principles for the developments, for example setting out approximately how many homes or jobs it will need to provide, and what services and facilities it will need to provide as part of the development. A planning application would still be required for any site allocated for development within the Local Plan. A planning application is a separate, formal process that would normally follow a site’s allocation in the Local Plan, and it is at that stage where the specific details are decided, such as the exact number of homes, the number of parking spaces, the size and location of new facilities and road layouts. An online site form will need to be completed for each site. As a minimum, we will need the site boundary to be plotted onto the online system, the address of the site, the current use of the site and ownership details, if known. Additional information, such as detailed site plans and photographs, are also helpful. For us, it’s really important that big new developments have the right facilities so we’d expect anyone submitting a major development site to be considering from the outset what benefits they believe it could bring existing and new residents. If you are aware of any issues or constraints that affect the site and already have proposed mitigation in mind, it would also be useful to submit any details around this to inform the assessment process. For sites that pass the initial assessment stages, there will also be an opportunity to submit additional information at a later stage in the assessment process. Submitting a site does not mean the site will be allocated for development. National guidance requires us to consider whether sites are: Every site that is put forward will be assessed against a set of specific criteria. The views we have gathered from residents as part of our recent public engagement are currently helping to shape some of these criteria. This will include taking into account issues such as infrastructure capacity (whether there are sufficient places at nearby schools and GP surgeries, for example), flood risk, environment and historic designations, accessibility (how easily sites can be accessed by different modes of transport), road capacity, sustainability and many more factors. We will also engage with key external organisations such as National Highways, Natural England and Historic England to highlight any issues and opportunities. Allocations will be selected from the shortlist of sites which have passed the assessment process. This will be informed by the Local Plan’s chosen strategy. There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on the sites selected before a decision is made. Yes. If you wish any site previously submitted to the Council to be reconsidered, it should be resubmitted using the new online submission form. This will ensure that we have up-to-date and consistent baseline information for all sites. A new assessment of the sites will be made using the site assessment criteria for the new Local Plan. Please note, if your site is already allocated in our current Local Plan, there is no need to resubmit them. All allocations from previous Local Plans will be carried forward. No, sites that have previously been submitted and are currently on the Brownfield Register have already been through an initial high-level assessment. The Council will contact those on the Register to confirm whether they would like their sites to be considered through the Local Plan process. Developing a Local Plan is a big task, which takes a number of years. As well as requiring a huge range of evidence studies to be prepared to ensure we are considering all options effectively, we want to ensure we allow enough time to hear from you (our communities, stakeholders and businesses) about what you want for your area. You can view the full timeframe at the bottom of this web page. Sign up for our email alerts for regular updates. National guidance states that the assessment of sites needs to identify all sites and broad locations (regardless of the amount of development needed) in order to provide a complete audit of available land. The process of the assessment will, however, provide the information to enable an identification of sites and locations that are most suitable for the level of development required. The government has recently consulted on a new method for calculating housing needs which suggests that Central Bedfordshire needs to provide 2,099 new homes for every year that our Local Plan covers. We are also preparing a study that will break our housing number down to look at the different types of homes we need to provide, including the amount and types of affordable housing. This study will also work out how many and what type of jobs we need to provide. Once we know how many homes and jobs we need to find, we will assess all the sites that are submitted to us and identify enough to meet our requirements. We have also commissioned a separate study to work out how many pitches we need to provide for our Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople community. At this stage we are asking for all types and sizes of sites, although we do propose to only allocate housing sites able to accommodate at least 10 dwellings. This is because we are focusing on sites which are large enough for us to be able to secure funding towards infrastructure improvements and provide affordable housing. If sites are not capable of providing ten or more dwellings though, we are still happy to accept submissions which will then be passed on to neighbourhood planning groups to consider when they review or produce new Plans. We are not seeking comments on sites at this time. Once we have finished the Call for Sites, we need to take some time to consider each of the sites that have been submitted to us before we seek views on them. There will be opportunities to comment on sites in due course and we will publicise when this will happen. Stay up to date by signing up for our email alerts. No, this isn’t an option. We are given a housing figure by the Government that we have to meet and we are required to have an up-to-date Local Plan in place (we must review it every 5 years) to address this. Some of the first things the independent planning inspector will look for when assessing the plan we submit is whether we are meeting our need for new homes and jobs, including our needs for gypsy, traveller and travelling showpeople sites. If we don’t meet our need without compelling reasons, the plan will not be passed by the Inspector. Without a Local Plan in place, we will lose significant control over where development might happen, and the infrastructure and services it could provide. We will then be under pressure to approve these to meet our housing needs, or the Government is able to start overturning refusals at appeal if they don’t feel there are against national planning policy. This form of development is much more difficult for the Council to influence and it makes it harder for us to get the best for our communities. Therefore, there will be growth, but the Local Plan allows us to plan for what growth is best for Central Bedfordshire, rather than just having to approve planning applications which come in. If you would like to discuss the Call for Sites process further, please email localplan@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 8301.
What is the process and timeline for the new Local Plan?