Cumberland Council has launched a Call for Sites, a key stage in developing our new Cumberland Local Plan.

This is an opportunity for residents to help shape the future of Cumberland by identifying land that could be developed or protected.

Landowners, developers, site promoters, Parish and Town Councils, and members of the public can identify sites which they would like to see either protected or developed for a particular use.

Uses can include housing, retail, employment, open space, habitat creation, minerals or waste.

There are no size or locational requirements for the submitted sites, but any land submitted must have the landowner’s permission and it must be within the Cumberland Local Plan area.

It should not include land within the St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, Carlisle and the Lake District National Park as these areas of Cumberland are covered by separate Local Plans.

Sites previously submitted to Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland or Cumbria County Council must be re-submitted, as older submissions won’t be carried forward.

This is not a planning application, and submission does not grant planning permission or any development status.

This process is not the same as applying for planning permission; any site submitted through the Call for Sites is not granted any planning status, either permission or allocation; nor does it guarantee any future support from the council for its development or protection.

The Call for Sites is open until Sunday, January 4, 2026 and after that, all submissions will be assessed and the results published in a report.

More information and online forms are available here.

Paper forms can be picked up at Cumbria House and the Civic Centre in Carlisle, the Market Hall in Whitehaven, and Allerdale House in Workington.

To stay informed about future consultations, sign up here.