Land Availability Assessment

A land availability assessment identifies potential development sites and broad locations as an audit of available land and is not constrained by the level of need identified in a plan or strategy. It does not in itself determine whether a piece of land should be allocated for development, it is the role of the Local Plan to determine which of those sites are the most suitable allocations to take forward. A broad range of sites will be needed to help meet development requirements in the borough, for a variety of different land uses.

Land availability assessment Stage One

This study replaces the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment 2017. The report and assessments are part of a wider library of technical evidence that informs plan-making and planning policy in Cheshire West and Chester. A Land Availability Assessment (Stage One) was published in 2024 and updated in 2025. 

A Stage Two report will identify which sites are the most suitable and achievable for a residential and/or employment use, identifying a broad range of sites to provide an audit of available land for both housing and economic development.

A PDF copy of the report and supporting information are available below:

To view a map of all sites included in the Stage One assessment, visit:

Next steps

The second stage of the land availability assessment will focus on site specific attributes and will result in a more refined assessment of the suitability, availability and achievability of each site to deliver the suggested type of development. The density and capacity assumptions will be reviewed, and revised where appropriate, to reflect the site-specific attributes. The outcome of the assessment will be used to inform the preparation of the Local Plan and will help to inform development options and land allocations.