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Guidance

In Layman's Terms | Site Promotion in Planning

By David Wetherill25 March 2026

In this episode, we’re covering the topic of site promotion a frequent question among landowners and consultants who are unsure whether now is the right time to promote their land for development.

We’ve had quite a few conversations recently with landowners and consultants who are wondering if now a good time is to promote their site and how to go about it so we wanted to share a few thoughts.

There have been a lot of changes to the planning system lately, and it can all seem a bit daunting. Housing targets, the Grey Belt, Local Plans… plus changes to biodiversity net gain and the planning committee process are also on the horizon.

With the new Grey Belt definition, parts of the Green Belt if previously developed or making a weak contribution might now be considered suitable for development.

So what would we be thinking about if we had land that might be suitable?

In most cases, a pre-application and promoting the site through the Local Plan process is key.

Key considerations:

Does the council have a 5 Year Housing Land Supply?

What are the Local, Neighbourhood and emerging Planning Policies.

Does the site have any designations on its Policies Map.

What are the site constraints. E.g. flood risk, trees, and proximity to listed buildings

How quickly do you want to progress with development on the site.

Even a great site won’t go far if it’s promoted at the wrong moment or without the technical case behind it. If it’s helpful, we can talk through how much information is typically needed for a pre-app and what kind of costs might be involved in starting the process.

If you have any questions or you’ve got a site in mind please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of planning consultants who can guide you and help ensure your project has the best chance of success.

Get in touch with us today on 01344 508048 or email office@etplanning.co.uk to discuss your planning strategy.  

Need Planning Advice?

Contact our team to discuss how these policy changes might affect your project.