Is now the time to promote your land for development in Cornwall?
Cornwall is entering an important period for the promotion of development land.
Cornwall Council is preparing the Cornwall Local Plan 2050 and is continuing its Call for Sites, inviting landowners to submit land for potential future development. The current Call for Sites remains open until 31 December 2026.
At the same time, Cornwall’s housing requirement has increased significantly, with the Council now planning for approximately 4,421 homes per annum. This will require additional land to be identified through the plan-making process.
For landowners, this creates an opportunity to consider whether land may have future development potential.
Putting land forward through the Call for Sites
Submission through the Call for Sites does not mean that land will be allocated or ultimately receive planning permission.
For residential development, sites must generally comprise at least 0.06 hectares and be located within or adjacent to an existing settlement, or otherwise in a sustainable location. Certain designated areas, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Flood Zone 3b, are excluded from consideration.
The purpose of the Call for Sites is to identify land that may have potential for future development. Sites that pass the initial screening process are then assessed by the Council through its Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, which considers matters including suitability, availability, achievability and potential development capacity.
For landowners, submitting a site is therefore an early opportunity to have land considered as part of the preparation of the new Local Plan.
Site promotion
Where a site demonstrates development potential, consideration can then be given to how it should be promoted through the planning process.
Site promotion can take a number of forms. A landowner may choose to promote the land directly, appointing the necessary planning and technical consultants, or enter into an agreement with a developer or specialist land promoter who will undertake and fund the promotion process on their behalf.
The promotion process will typically involve developing a planning strategy, commissioning the necessary technical work and progressing the site towards the submission of a planning application.
The structure of any promotion or option agreement is also important. Matters such as the promotion period, responsibility for costs, minimum land value, promoter’s return and the mechanism for marketing or acquiring the land can all have a significant bearing on the eventual outcome for the landowner.
The objective is ultimately to secure planning permission while protecting the landowner’s position and maximising the value achieved from the site.
A timely opportunity
With a new Local Plan being prepared and a substantially higher housing requirement to accommodate, this is a sensible point for landowners to review whether land may have future development potential.
Early development advice can help establish whether a site is suitable for submission through the Call for Sites and, where there is a realistic prospect of development, identify the most appropriate strategy for promoting the land through the planning process.
Vickery Holman’s Development team advises landowners throughout the South West on development potential, site promotion, valuation and the disposal of development land.
Could your land have development potential? Contact Vickery Holman’s Development team to discuss your options.
