Dover District Council –The Local Plan

Dover District Council’s Local Plan and HELAA process for the six acres of land

Dover District Council –The Local Plan

Dover District Council are in the process of producing a new Local Plan. This plan sets out planning policies and proposals for new development in the District over the period from 2020 to 2040. Once adopted, the Local Plan will replace the current suite of Development Plan documents.

The HELAA (Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment) process

Dover District Council are currently undertaking a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) to support the preparation of the new Local Plan for the District.

This assessment of land availability identifies a future supply of land, which is suitable, available and achievable for housing and economic development uses over the plan period. It provides an important source of evidence to inform plan making and decision taking, and identifies a 5-year supply of housing land.

However, the assessment does not in itself determine whether a site should be allocated for development. It is the role of the assessment to provide information on the range of sites which are available to meet the local authority’s requirements, but it is for the development plan itself to determine which of those sites are the most suitable to meet those requirements.

With regards to the options for HELAA site PRE017, Preston Parish Council were advised that they can either: -

1. Notify Dover District Council that the land belonging to the Preston Parish Council is unavailable and they will update the HELAA to reflect this.

2. Wait and see if the site gets allocated in the draft Local Plan and make representations to Dover District Council as part of the consultation on the draft Local Plan. Preston Parish Council could either notify DDC that the site is unavailable, and the site would be removed as an allocation from the Plan, or confirm that the site is available and submit further information to the council to demonstrate the deliverability of the site.

3. Actively engage in discussions with adjoining landowners, prior to the site being confirmed as an allocation in the draft Local Plan. Whilst the draft Local Plan and proposed site allocations are not in the public domain, the above site is proposed as a housing allocation and it is likely that Dover District Council will contact Preston Parish Council as part of the Regulation 18 consultation in January to ask them to provide further details to demonstrate the deliverability of the site, particularly in relation to access.

Preston Parish Council unanimously agreed to explore Option 3.

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