As part of the update to our Local Plan, Rother District Council is required by national planning policy to undertake a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).

The HELAA will assess the development potential of sites for housing and economic land uses (including renewable energy schemes) across the district and consider whether they are suitable, available and achievable for development over the new Local Plan period (2025 – 2042). The HELAA will form an important part of the evidence base for the new Rother Local Plan. It will be carried out in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (December 2024) and the national Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). The HELAA is currently being updated and will be published in January 2026 in support of the next draft Local Plan consultation.

We are continuing to accept new site submissions for assessment through the next version of the HELAA. To submit a site for consideration, please visit the Call for Sites page.

It is important to note that the HELAA does not pre-empt or prejudice any future Council decisions about any site. It is not a statement of Council policy. It does not determine whether a site should be allocated for future development, as that is the role of a Local Plan or a Neighbourhood Plan. It does not determine whether or not a site will be granted planning permission. 

As required by Planning Practice Guidance, the HELAA will be undertaken on a district-wide basis. Notwithstanding this, many towns and parishes are covered by (existing and emerging) Neighbourhood Plans, which may have involved their own “call for sites” and site assessments. The HELAA does not constrain this process in any way.