Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA)

The SHELAA is a technical document which provides information on sites; submitted by landowners, developers and agents, for potential housing, economic development, Gypsy pitches, Travelling Showpeople plots, and self-build housing, etc. in relation to their suitability, availability and achievability. The SHELAA will only identify sites which have been promoted to the Council, it does not allocate sites. The inclusion of the site in the SHELAA does not imply that the Council would necessarily grant planning permission.

The SHELAA document is an important component of the evidence base for the next Test Valley Local Plan. It seeks to identify and assess land which landowners and developers are willing to make available to inform potential future allocations for housing and employment.

Please note that:

  • The SHELAA only identifies sites with development potential, it does not allocate sites.
  • The inclusion of a site within the document does not preclude them for being developed for other uses.
  • The information is based on submissions received from landowners and agents.
  • The SHELAA is based on the most up to date information available (supplied and researched) at the time of the document’s preparation (December 2023). Therefore factors may be subject to change over time and may have an effect on any site.
  • Any identified constraint may be mitigated, overcome and/or additional factors identified
  • Likely development timescales may be subject to change
  • Where information has not been provided in relation to site capacity or expected delivery the Council has estimated supply (marked with an asterisk)
  • Site capacity or densities may be subject to change as additional information is developed and masterplanning detail takes place
  • The availability of the site may be reassessed by the landowner

The sites that are considered to have potential for strategic housing allocation would be assessed separately before policy decisions are made in the next Local Plan. SHELAA sites have not been ranked or discounted for existing constraints or potential delivery delays. The most appropriate development sites given the balance of constraints will be assessed separately through this process.

With regard to residential and economic uses, the Council will accept sites for a net gain of 5 or more dwellings and sites that are 0.25ha (or likely to provide at least 500m² of economic floor space) and above.

The current SHELAA has a base date of 2023, following a call for sites in June 2021 to November 2021, and a further call for additional sites in 2022.

Submissions for new sites can be made outside of specific calls for sites using the guidance note and form available from this page. Additional information for existing sites can also be provided through this route (please quote the SHELAA Site Reference the update relates to). All such submissions will be kept on file until the next update of SHELAA.

Please be aware that all promoted sites will be made publicly available through the SHELAA Report or Update. Individual personal details and land ownership details will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

More recently, further calls for additional sites have been undertaken in 2024.  An updated SHELAA Report will therefore be published in due course. Submissions for new sites can be made outside of specific calls for sites using the guidance note and form available on this page. Additional information or updates for existing SHELAA sites can also be provided via this route (please quote the SHELAA Site Reference the update relates to). All such submissions will be kept on file until the next update of the SHELAA.

Please complete the submission form (docx, 67kb) and return:

  • By email to:  planningpolicy@testvalley.gov.uk or
  • By post to:    Planning Policy Team, Test Valley Borough Council, Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 3AJ

For further information or any queries please telephone 01264 368000 or email planningpolicy@testvalley.gov.uk