Residents, businesses, landowners, and developers are being asked to suggest sites for development or land use changes in Chesterfield.

Chesterfield Borough Council is issuing its Call for Sites as part of the Local Plan review process. The aim is to identify sites that have the potential to be developed for housing or employment but also to help find sites that could be used to enhance local biodiversity or other uses.

The Call for Sites is being run through an innovative online consultation platform that will be open for the public for six weeks to submit their suggestions from Monday 21 March until midnight on Monday 2 May 2022.

Councillor Dean Collins, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “The Local Plan is important because it is the starting point for assessing the merits of individual planning applications. The Call for Sites helps ensure that we identify sites for development that meet local need and this must be done as part of the five-year review of our Local Plan.

“We are trialling a new digital platform that we hope will make it easier for everyone to help identify sites with potential across the borough. The online tool uses a map of Chesterfield and when you highlight a site it shows the current Local Plan map and you can then make a simple suggestion for how that land should be used in future.

“I would encourage everyone to give us their views and make sure they do it within the six weeks as we cannot accept any late submissions.”

As well as suggesting sites for housing or business developments, there is also the opportunity to highlight sites for other uses. This can include areas the council can invest in to enhance biodiversity through tree planting and habitat management but also sites that would be suitable for Gypsy and Traveller Sites, community facilities and public open spaces.

The Local Plan must be reviewed at least once every five years and the Call for Sites is a key element of this review.

There are two methods available for submitting a site for consideration, the first is a site suggestion form where the availability or ownership of a site is not known, and the second option is via a detailed site submission form aimed at landowners or their agents.

Sites that are suggested will be assessed later in the year as part of a Land Availability Assessment which in turn will be used to help review the current Local Plan.

Where a site has been suggested by a member of the public, but the availability of a site is not known the council may contact the landowner to find out if it is available or not. Sites which ultimately are not available will not be able to progress as part of the Local Plan review.

A site being put forward to the council and then later considered in the Land Availability Assessment does not mean it will necessarily be considered suitable for development or a particular land use, nor included in a local plan or granted planning permission.

The council are working with the consultants Urban Intelligence who have developed the platform and are experts in using technology and data science to assess property and support the planning process.

Funding for the platform was provided by the Government through the PropTech Engagement Fund with the aim of increasing local engagement with the planning process and giving people a greater say over their local area.

Find out more about the Call for Sites and submit suggestions by visiting www.chesterfield.gov.uk/call-for-sites-2022

If you need more information or assistance with the platform, please contact the Strategic Planning and Key Sites team by calling 01246 345002 or emailing local.plan@chesterfield.gov.uk.