Call for Sites (20 Oct - 9 Jan 2026)
Between 20 October 2025 and 9 January 2026, we invited people to put forward land for different possible uses as part of our early evidence gathering for the new Joint Local Plan. We have now published a map showing all of the sites that were put forward. The map sets out the land that was submitted. It does not give any site planning status or mean that development will take place. Every site will go through detailed assessment before any draft proposals are made. These sites do not have any official planning status at this stage — the Councils are sharing them so communities can see what has been submitted in areas they are interested in.
The Councils have not at this point reviewed these sites in detail or decided whether any of the sites are suitable for inclusion as a future development site in the Local Plan. We would only do so after further publicity and consultation. We are now starting to assess each site to understand whether it is suitable, achievable and available. We need to be confident that future allocations are deliverable. The results will be published in our Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) in Spring 2026. This will help shape our new draft Local Plan, which will later be open for public consultation.
Background
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are reviewing their Joint Local Plan, which guides development across both districts. The review is required because of national policy changes and an increase in housing requirements set by Government. As part of the early evidence-gathering work, the councils ran a Call for Sites exercise between 20 October 2025 and 9 January 2026 to understand what land may be available for different types of future land uses. This includes land for new homes, for businesses, for community use and to help support nature recovery.
The FAQ below explains what this means for residents now that the councils are publishing all the sites submitted.
What is the Call for Sites?
The Call for Sites exercise is a standard part of preparing a Local Plan and all councils will, as part of their Plan making, be required to do the same. It is simply an invitation to landowners, developers and community groups to suggest pieces of land that could, in theory, be suitable for future development. This helps the councils understand what land is potentially available to meet their set housing, employment and other requirements before they start to form up proposals in their Local Plan as to where such development should go.
Why did the Councils run a Call for Sites?
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are carrying out a full review of the Joint Local Plan to help guide development into the mid 2040s. The Call for Sites is one of the first steps in building the evidence needed for that new plan.
What types of sites were people able to put forward?
A wide variety of uses could be suggested — including housing, employment, leisure, community facilities and more. Residential sites generally needed to be capable of delivering at least five homes or be over 0.25 hectares.
Does publishing these sites mean they will be developed?
No. This publication simply shows the land that was submitted to us. It does not give any site planning status or mean that development will take place. Every site will go through detailed assessment and there will be further publicity and consultation before any decisions are made.
What happens next?
Council officers will now assess each site to understand whether it is suitable, achievable and available, using national planning policy and technical evidence. This work will feed into the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA), which will be published in Spring 2026.
Will residents be able to comment on these sites?
Yes. The stage where residents can formally comment is when the Councils publish a draft Local Plan containing suggested site allocations. There will be full consultation opportunities at that point and we expect all the information to be ready for this consultation. Dates to be confirmed in future updates.
Why publish the sites now?
We want to be completely open and transparent. Whilst we realise this may lead to some discussion in our communities it allows everyone to see openly what land has been submitted before our technical assessment begins. We’d re-iterate that at this point these are just submissions made to us. They do not have any formal status or recognition beyond that.