About the Local Plan
Use of green belt and previously developed (brownfield) land
Development of the green belt
Urban, and previously used land (commonly known as brownfield land), will always be prioritised when looking at places for development.
Sometimes however this is not possible.
For example, in South Tyneside the minimum number of new homes set by the government is higher than the amount of urban and brownfield land that is actually available.
Therefore, the draft Local Plan does propose that some green belt land is used for development, potentially for new homes or employment opportunities.
The use of green belt land will only happen when there are no other suitable urban and brownfield development options.
If green belt land is released for development the Council must provide full evidence and justify the exceptional circumstances when this is the case. This is a requirement of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021).
The total area of green belt land in the borough is 2,344 hectares. Of this, the new Local Plan proposes 158 hectares could potentially be used. This does not mean that all this land will be developed, for example some will be kept as open green space.
The Local Plan also sets out how it proposes to protect some of the green belt for the future.
It is also worth noting that any agricultural land identified for development is not the best quality land for agriculture.
Use of urban land
The Council has carried out detailed assessments of potential sites within the urban area and tried to maximise their capacity for new development.
This has included:
- a detailed assessment for new homes through a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
- a review of land allocated to employment through an Employment Land Technical Paper
- site-specific sustainability appraisals for different housing options
- looking at whether plans for homes and employment can be delivered through the regeneration plans for South Shields Town Centre or Hebburn Town Centre
- reviewing density assumptions that have been used when looking at sites in our built up areas
Use of brownfield land
A brownfield site is an area that has been built on before and tends to be disused or derelict land.
The Council tries to prioritise using this type of land for new developments. For example, more than 2,600 homes are planned for brownfield land.
However, not all brownfield land in the borough is suitable or available for development, which may mean that green belt land needs to be used.
Some brownfield sites are in unsuitable locations for residential development. For example, the site could be in the middle of an industrial estate, or the site may be privately owned and there is no guarantee that the owner intends to sell or develop the site.
The Council are required by government to be able to provide, with a high degree of certainty, enough housing for the first 5 years of the Local Plan.
Many brownfield sites would unfortunately not be available within this time frame. This is because infrastructure needs to be put in place, or the land needs to be decontaminated.
A Site Selections Paper has been produced which identifies different sites and describes their suitability for development.