Maidenhead & Windsor

The Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough is appealing to landowners, developers and residents to identify sites that could potentially be suitable for housing – and hopefully reduce the risk of Green Belt land being given over to development.

Any suggested site will be assessed on its individual merits and not all sites will be considered appropriate.

It is a government requirement that all local planning authorities undertake a strategic housing land availability assessment (SHLAA) to determine if there is sufficient land to meet the need for new homes. This information will be used in preparing the Local Development Framework for the borough*.

Cllr Derek Wilson, lead member for Windsor and Maidenhead planning and housing, said: "The South East England Regional Assembly has recommended that the Royal Borough builds 346 new homes each year, and the Planning Inspectorate has instructed us to carry out a review of the Green Belt.

"We fought very hard against the review but were told that adhering to existing settlement boundaries was not in the best interests of the local community and we have no choice but to continue with the review.

"Under these unwelcome circumstances, we are searching for any available, suitable areas – and especially brownfield sites – that can be used for future development rather than having to resort to building on our precious Green Belt. Anybody with information on potential sites is urged to contact us."

The sites may be of any size and located anywhere in the borough. However the inclusion of a site within the SHLAA does not mean it is necessarily appropriate for development. All suggested sites will be rigorously tested and open to public consultation to determine their suitability.

Anyone wishing to suggest a site should complete the form available to download at www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/pp_development_sites.htm or call 01628 796172.

All completed forms must be accompanied by a map showing both the location and boundary of the site, and returned to: Planning Policy Manager, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead