Cumberland Council has launched its Call for Sites - a key stage in the development of its new Local Plan.
Local Plans identify where there is the need for future development, where the opportunities are located and where there might be a need to restrict development.
Landowners, developers, site promoters, Parish and Town Councils and members of the public are invited to identify sites which they would like to see either protected or developed for a particular use. Uses can include housing, retail, employment, open space, habitat creation, minerals and waste.
There are no size or locational requirements for the submitted sites, but any land submitted must have the landowner’s permission and it must be within the Cumberland Local Plan area. It should not include land within the St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, Carlisle and the Lake District National Park as these areas of Cumberland are covered by separate Local Plans. These can be viewed online at www.stcuthbertsgv.co.uk and www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning/planningpolicies/local-plan
Any land previously submitted to any of the legacy authorities (Allerdale Borough Council, Carlisle City Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council) must be submitted again through this process as the council will not include submissions for previous Local Plans in its site assessments.
This process is not the same as applying for planning permission; any site submitted through the Call for Sites is not granted any planning status (either permission or allocation), nor does it guarantee any future support from the council for its development or protection.
The Call for Sites process will run until Sunday 4 January 2026. After this date, the council will assess the suitability and development potential of all of the sites put forward; the results of this assessment will be published in a report.
More information and guidance on the process (including the online submission forms) can be found at www.cumberland.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/cumberland-local-plan
The submission forms are also available to pick up from council offices - Cumbria House and the Civic Centre in Carlisle, the Market Hall in Whitehaven and Allerdale House in Workington.
If anyone would like to be informed of any future planning policy and local plan consultations, they can sign up using this link: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKCUMBERLAND/signup/42091.