Leicestershire Parish Councils

Potential sites for future housing development are being identified as part of a bid to meet Government targets.

Landowners, developers and property agents, who may have land in the Harborough district which could be developed to provide at least five homes per site, are being urged to step forward.

Planning officers at Harborough District Council have started to prepare a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) for the district, as required by Government.

All councils in England must prepare SHLAAs, as part of the national priority to achieve Government housing targets.

Once finished, the SHLAA will have an input into future planning in the county, through the respective Local Development Frameworks.

Cllr John Everett, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for strategic housing, said: “Land that is proposed will be considered by local authorities and a panel of representatives from the house building industry and the conclusions will be published in a SHLAA report later in 2008.

“However, the inclusion of land in the SHLAA report does not indicate that planning permission will be granted for new housing, or that it will be allocated for development in the Local Development Framework.

“It is important to stress that sites which are deemed to be suitable will still need to go through the plan making consultation stage and will need to be allocated as part of the Local Development Framework system. This will be subject to council approval.”

Submissions of potential land should be made using the form, which is available on Harborough District Council’s website www.harborough.gov.uk/shlaa.

The closing date for submissions is Friday, April 4, 2008, and they should be sent to: Planning Policy Team, Harborough District Council, Adam and Eve Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7AG.