As part of the technical evidence base to inform our Local Plan Review and brownfield register, we have undertaken a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA), this identifies potential sites and assesses whether they are suitable, available and achievable for housing, employment or other economic development uses. Further guidance is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/housing-and-economic-land-availability-assessment.

The HELAA only identifies sites with potential for future development, it does not allocate sites or imply that planning permission would be granted for development.

The 2021 HELAA is attached below. Please note that it has not been produced as a paper document but comprises the following:

• A HELAA Report (Which contains Appendix 1 Methodology and Appendix 2 HELAA Panel: Summary of Findings
• Appendix 3 HELAA Spreadsheet of Sites. This summarises the sites considered and how far they were assessed to be developable.
• Appendix 4 Site Proformas (note that this contains sub-folders). Please note that there are formatting issues with some of these documents.  We are reviewing them and in the process of replacing the word documents with PDFs.  Please treat the word proformas as draft documents. Thank you.   
• Appendix 5 Maps of sites and Broad Locations considered (please see below)

The HELAA has assessed sites on a traffic-light basis:

• Green sites which are allocated in the existing development plan or have planning permission.
• Yellow sites are assessed by officers to have only minor constraints.
• Amber sites have significant constraints.
• Red sites have been assessed by officers as being unsuitable for development and therefore rejected by the HELAA

The 2021 HELAA has been used as the basis for the Local Plan Growth Options, although some policy considerations have also gone into constructing the options. In particularly urban regeneration sites are included in all options. More information is available at Local Plan Update - Torbay Council

HELAA Appendix 5 – Maps showing Sites and Categories

• Local Plan 2012 to 2030 update Regulation 18 Option 5 - Map showing Green, Yellow, Amber and Red categories
• Local Plan 2012 to 2030 update Regulation 18 Option 5 - Map showing categories 

General Guidance

• Sites must be within the Torbay Council administrative boundary. If a site crosses the administrative boundary into another local authority (South Hams or Teignbridge), it can still be put forward, but please let us know the full extent of the site.
• As well as new sites, sites can be suggested which are already allocated, have been assessed in previous Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments (SHLAAs), have an expired or extant planning permission, and those that are already under construction.
• You do not need to own a site in order to put it forward, however, we will need the landowner’s contact details.
• A map of the site should be provided at an appropriate scale, clearly and accurately showing its boundaries.
• Use one form per site.
• The development potential of eligible sites promoted will be assessed by Torbay Council officers and a panel of representatives from the housing and economic development industries. Conclusions will be published in a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and this will be published on this website.
• Please note that any sites within in the  Brixham Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan Area (i.e. those in  Brixham Town Council and those in the new Broadsands, Churston and Galmpton Neighbourhood Forum Area) are contained within the ‘Brixham’ Folders.

The related privacy notice can be found at www.torbay.gov.uk/helaa-pn