Ryedale District Council (RDC) is calling for people to submit details of sites that could be used for development as part of a review of its Local Plan.

Local authorities are required by central government to identify future supply of land that’s “suitable, available and achievable” for use for housing or other economic development purposes.

Part of this involves encouraging landowners to come forward with sites they are interested in developing. This is known as a 'Call for Sites. Local authorities will conduct a technical assessment of land put forward and look to include any suitable land within their Local Plans.

The Local Plan is the formal document that sets out future development of the district, drawn up by the council in consultation with the community.

As part of the early scoping work on the Local Plan Review, RDC is inviting landowners, developers, agents and other organisations to submit potential sites for uses such as housing, commercial, business, retail and tourism.

Phillip Spurr, Programme Director for Economic Development, Business and Partnerships, said: “The council is starting work on a review of our Local Plan.

"This will ensure that planning policies are up-to-date and meet the development needs of local communities and the wider area, whilst reflecting national planning policy objectives.

Mr Spurr added: “The ‘Call for Sites’ is an opportunity for the Council to take a holistic look at land in Ryedale to ensure that we can allocate enough land for development in the right places to meet housing needs and other economic, social and environmental priorities now and into the future.

“Submitting a site for consideration doesn’t mean that the site will be allocated. Decisions will be made through the Local Plan Review process, informed by detailed site assessment work and community and stakeholder engagement.”

The ‘Call for Sites’ is to last two months. Initial community consultation with stakeholders will begin in August 2021, with proposed site allocations expected to be published in September 2022.

To submit a site for consideration, please fill in the form on the website: www.ryedale.gov.uk/call-for-sites by Monday, July 5.

Land must not be within the North York Moors National Park area of Ryedale, or concern minerals operations or waste matters, as these aspects are covered by a different Local Planning Authority.