Closed
Call for Sites and scoping closed
Both consultations closed at midday on 22 July 2026. This guide explains the next steps; it is not an open invitation to submit land to the Council.
South Staffordshire Local Plan: The Position After the 2026 Call for Sites
The Council is preparing a new-style Local Plan. The Call for Sites was part of early scoping and evidence gathering, not a decision on which land will be allocated. Submitted sites may now be screened, mapped and compared against the authority’s developing spatial strategy and technical evidence.
The published timetable gives landowners identifiable points at which to review the case and prepare for further engagement.
Next checkpoint
Gateway 1 by 30 October 2026
The Council’s timetable identifies publication of its Gateway 1 self-assessment as the point from which the 30-month plan period begins.
Future opportunity
Content and evidence consultation
The timetable indicates a six-week consultation on proposed plan content and evidence beginning in June 2027, subject to future updates.
A Distinct Rural Planning Context
Why a South Staffordshire Site Needs More Than a Generic Housing Case
South Staffordshire surrounds much of the western and northern edge of the Black Country and contains a network of villages rather than one dominant town. That creates a particular planning question: how can growth support local communities without eroding the separation and identity that the Green Belt is intended to protect?
A credible promotion case should locate the land within that wider geography. It may need to explain links to Wolverhampton, Dudley, Cannock or Birmingham, but it must also address the services and character of the nearest South Staffordshire settlement. A site beside Codsall or Wombourne will raise different issues from employment land near i54, the M54 or the A5.
The Council’s 2026 evidence base includes updated Green Belt work. That makes parcel-level evidence particularly important. A landowner should understand how the site is described, what purpose the surrounding land performs, and whether access, landscape treatment and a durable boundary could change the assessment.
Site Assessment Priorities
Six South Staffordshire Tests Likely to Shape Site Prospects
Each parcel needs its own evidence trail. The following considerations are especially important when reviewing land after the Call for Sites.
Settlement Role and Village Fit
Explain the relationship to the nearest village, its services, schools, shops, employment and public transport. The site should form a coherent extension or infill opportunity rather than an isolated incursion into open land.
Green Belt Parcel Performance
Review the Council’s Green Belt evidence at parcel level. Identify existing boundaries, intervisibility, settlement separation and whether mitigation could create a robust new edge. Read our grey belt guide.
Strategic and Local Access
Separate strategic connectivity from safe site access. Proximity to the M54, A5, A449 or A460 may support a location, but visibility, junction capacity, walking routes and local road character still need to be addressed.
Employment Corridors and Economic Uses
Land associated with i54, motorway junctions or established employment areas requires an economic and infrastructure case, including the type of floorspace, market role, servicing, freight movement and relationship to nearby communities.
Landscape, Ecology and Recreation
Consider hedgerows, mature trees, habitat networks, heritage assets, landscape sensitivity and any implications for protected sites. A high-level constraints plan can show where development, open space and buffers may fit.
Availability and Delivery Control
Confirm ownership, access rights, tenancies, covenants and the landowner’s willingness to proceed. A technically attractive parcel can still fail if access or control over essential land is uncertain.
Different Land, Different Strategy
Promotion Routes Across South Staffordshire
The same submission format should not be used for every type of land. The planning narrative should reflect the use, location and scale actually being promoted.
Village-Edge Housing
Focus on settlement sustainability, a logical boundary, walking links, landscape integration and a realistic concept capacity. Smaller sites may also need to explain how they contribute to local housing choice and delivery.
Strategic Employment Land
Set out the economic function, transport relationship, labour catchment, infrastructure requirements and why the use needs that location. Avoid describing a motorway-adjacent field as employment land without a delivery case.
Previously Developed and Infill Land
Establish the lawful or former use, contamination and demolition implications, surrounding character, access and whether redevelopment can make more efficient use of the site without creating unacceptable effects.
Larger Mixed-Use Holdings
Consider phasing, schools, open space, drainage, biodiversity, utilities and land assembly from the outset. Strategic land should be promoted through an infrastructure-led framework rather than a single housing number.
Reasonable Alternatives and Site Selection
How South Staffordshire May Compare Competing Development Options
A site is not assessed in isolation. The Council must consider how different locations and combinations of sites could meet the district’s needs. A landowner case is stronger when it anticipates that comparison and explains why the parcel performs well against consistent criteria.
Distribution of Growth
Explain how the site relates to the proposed distribution of housing or employment. A village-edge parcel should show what local need or strategic role it serves and why that scale of growth is appropriate for the settlement.
Green Belt Harm and Boundaries
Compare the parcel’s Green Belt performance with realistic alternatives. Identify whether built form, topography, roads, woodland or other features could establish a clear boundary and reduce wider encroachment.
Accessibility and Daily Needs
Measure practical walking, cycling and public-transport connections rather than relying on straight-line distance. Explain access to schools, shops, healthcare, employment and larger centres where local provision is limited.
Infrastructure and Cumulative Effects
Consider whether several nearby sites would rely on the same road, school, sewer or utility reinforcement. A promotion case should identify likely upgrades and whether the site can contribute to a coordinated solution.
Delivery Timing and Housing Trajectory
State when the site could start, what permissions or agreements are needed and how quickly homes or employment floorspace could follow. Availability should be supported by a realistic sequence, not a bare assertion.
Mitigation That Can Be Secured
Distinguish constraints that prevent development from effects that can be designed out or mitigated. Landscape buffers, habitat corridors, drainage areas and access works should be reflected in the developable area and delivery assumptions.
A Gateway-Led Promotion Plan
What a South Staffordshire Landowner Should Do Next
Value My Land can structure the post-submission work so that evidence is commissioned when it is useful, rather than preparing an application-level package too early.
1
Audit the submitted material
Check the form, red-line plan, ownership position and proposed use. Record what was actually sent and identify any missing documents or statements.
2
Map the Green Belt and settlement evidence
Compare the site with the Council’s evidence base, settlement strategy and nearby alternatives. Identify the exact point on which the site needs a stronger explanation.
3
Test access, constraints and realistic capacity
Undertake a proportionate desktop review and, where justified, obtain early highways, drainage, ecology or landscape advice. Prepare a concept that responds to the site rather than maximising a headline yield.
4
Monitor Gateway 1 and evidence publication
Review the Council’s self-assessment and subsequent evidence updates. If the site is omitted, misdescribed or assessed inconsistently, preserve a clear evidence-based response.
5
Prepare for the next formal consultation
Turn the site audit into focused representations on the proposed content and evidence. The objective is to secure a fair assessment and, where justified, inclusion within the emerging strategy.
Official South Staffordshire Sources to Monitor
Council timetables and evidence can change. Use the official pages to confirm the current stage before sending representations or commissioning new work.
Land Assessment Across South Staffordshire
We assess sites throughout the district, including village-edge parcels, farm holdings, brownfield land and strategic employment opportunities.
Acton TrussellBrewoodCheslyn HayCodsallCovenEssingtonFeatherstoneGreat WyrleyHimleyKinverPenkridgePertonWheaton AstonWombourne
The name of the nearest village is only the starting point. A site may be influenced by a neighbouring authority, a strategic road corridor, Green Belt separation or infrastructure serving a wider area. We therefore assess the actual parcel and its planning geography.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the South Staffordshire Call for Sites still open?
No. The scoping consultation and Call for Sites ran from 10 June 2026 until midday on 22 July 2026. Both are closed. Landowners should monitor the Council’s evidence work and future consultation dates.
What is Gateway 1 and why does it matter to a landowner?
Gateway 1 is an early self-assessment stage in the new plan-making process. It does not allocate land, but it tests whether the authority has the foundations, timetable and evidence programme needed to progress. For a promoter, it is a useful point at which to check whether the site is visible in the evidence base and whether important evidence gaps have been recognised.
Can Green Belt land still be considered?
Yes, but it requires a site-specific case. The submission should address the parcel’s Green Belt contribution, its relationship with the settlement, access, environmental effects and whether a defensible new boundary could be created. Green Belt status is not removed merely because a site was submitted.
How should land near a South Staffordshire village be promoted?
The case should explain the village’s services, transport choices, relationship to nearby centres, development pattern and infrastructure capacity. It should then show how the particular site could form a logical and deliverable extension rather than relying on a general assertion that more housing is needed.
What information should be kept after a submission?
Keep the submitted form, red-line plan, acknowledgement, ownership details, correspondence and every supporting document. Also retain dated photographs and any access, drainage, ecology, landscape or title information because these can be used to answer later evidence questions.
Can unsubmitted land still have promotion potential?
Potentially. The formal 2026 window has closed, so acceptance of late material is a matter for the Council. A landowner can nevertheless assess the site now, monitor the timetable and prepare proportionate evidence for the next suitable consultation or evidence update.
Does a submission guarantee allocation or planning permission?
No. A Call for Sites is evidence gathering. The Council must compare sites and decide its preferred spatial strategy before any allocation is proposed, and a Local Plan allocation is separate from planning permission.
Strengthen the Planning Case for Your South Staffordshire Land
Whether your land was submitted in July 2026 or has not yet entered the evidence base, a focused review can identify the Green Belt, settlement, access and delivery issues that will determine its prospects.
Request a South Staffordshire Site Review