This is a formal invitation to landowners, developers and promoters to submit land they believe could contribute to meeting the borough’s needs. This is not just for residential development, submissions can be put forward for a range of potential future uses, including employment, energy and infrastructure projects.
What the Tunbridge Wells Call for Sites Means for Landowners
A Call for Sites is not a planning application. It is an evidence-gathering exercise that feeds directly into the Local Plan. Sites submitted are assessed by the council for their suitability, availability and achievability – the results form part of the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA). Sites that perform well in that assessment stand a strong chance of being allocated in the new Local Plan. Allocation changes everything: it establishes the principle of development, materially increases land value, and provides a clear platform for a future planning application.
Is My Land Worth Submitting?
That is exactly the right question and our Planning team can help you answer quickly. Not all land will be suitable. Proximity to settlement boundaries, access, infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints and policy designations all affect viability. But in our experience, some landowners who assume their land has no realistic prospect are surprised by the assessment once the policy context is properly understood.
The current national direction of travel – higher housing targets, a more permissive approach to certain ‘Grey Belt’ land, and increasing pressure on councils to find allocations – means that sites which were previously ruled out deserve a fresh look.
If you own land in the Tunbridge Wells borough, whether farmland, paddocks, garden land, employment land or brownfield, and you have not yet spoken to a planning professional, now is the time.
What Happens After Submission?
The council will assess all sites submitted during the Call for Sites. This is a technical process that takes place over several months. Landowners and their agents are not required to do anything further at this stage but having a professionally prepared submission significantly improves the quality of the assessment and how your site is represented in the evidence base.
Once the assessment is complete, the council will progress the Local Plan through a series of consultation stages before the plan is submitted for independent examination. That process will likely take several years, but the decisions made now about which sites are included in the evidence base will shape every stage that follows.
Why Take Advice Before You Submit?
A poorly prepared submission or a submission that fails to address obvious constraints can harm a site’s prospects.
Our Planning team advises landowners and promoters across the South East on exactly this kind of opportunity. We have a planning team based in our Tunbridge Wells office so know the borough well. We understand the emerging policy context. And we can give you a frank, expert assessment of whether your land has realistic potential before you commit to anything.
The Tunbridge Wells Call for Sites was open from 11 May to 3 August 2026.
If you own land in the borough and missed this window, speak to our Planning team about your options – 01892 509280.
Speak to Our Planning Team
Our Planning and Development team advises landowners, developers, promoters and rural estates across the South East. We have offices in Tunbridge Wells, Haywards Heath, Pulborough, Battle and Surrey Hills.