Candidate Sites Process

An important part of the Local Development Plan process is the submission and assessment of Candidate Sites. Early in the process, the Local Planning Authority will invite landowners, developers and the public to suggest sites for development or protection, to be included within the new Local Development Plan. You can suggest sites that should be protected, such as new nature reserves, at this stage.

The sites are then assessed by the Local Planning Authority for their suitability for development or protection, using criteria such as whether the site has suitable access, whether it is on a floodplain. Each planning authority sets their own criteria, but it should include biodiversity and ecosystem resilience criteria.

The list of sites that pass the assessment are then published for public consultation, usually along with the Preferred Strategy. You can comment, support or object to a site being included at this stage. Its best to think about each site as if it was an outline planning application and consider its potential effects on wildlife.

When objecting to a candidate site, the same principles apply as responding to the Local Development Plan in general. You must show that allocating the site for development fails one of the three tests of soundness. Mostly, this will be because allocating the site is inconsistent with National Planning Policy, which is failing the first test of soundness. If this is the case, cite the relevant policy and clearly state that the candidate site is inconsistent with the policy.

Examining and commenting on Candidate Sites is extremely important. Once a site passes this stage and is allocated within a Local Development Plan, is it much more likely to have a planning application approved. You may be able to alter the design or layout, but it is very difficult to stop development happening on an allocated site