SITES for all but 2,600 of the 11,200 new homes destined for Huntingdonshire in the 20 years up to 2021 have already been identified, the district council has revealed. It is now looking at where other development might go up to 2021 and beyond, including

SITES for all but 2,600 of the 11,200 new homes destined for Huntingdonshire in the 20 years up to 2021 have already been identified, the district council has revealed.

It is now looking at where other development might go up to 2021 and beyond, including some unlikely locations suggested by landowners and developers.

Last week Huntingdon Town Council's planning committee saw details of nearly 20 possible sites in the town in HDC's housing land assessment.

But HDC this week said that the inclusion of sites in the document did not mean that they would get planning consent for development.

The Huntingdon sites include Huntingdon Fire Station, the Transco depot on Mill Common, Hinchingbrooke School playing fields, Brookfield Farm, west of the A14 at Spittals, fields west of Ermine Street business park, Lodge Farm, north-west of the Huntingdon bypass, Old Houghton Road, Newton's Court car park, Tyrells Marina and the police headquarters playing field.

However, HDC planners stress that many of the sites put forward are simply not suitable for housing.

Other areas included, such as the western edge of the town centre, the bus garage in Stukeley Road, which are available, and the site of Anglian Water's headquarters and Huntingdonshire Regional College, which currently are not, have already been identified as suitable for homes.

Planning policy manager Richard Probyn said the exercise was part of a process being followed by every planning authority in the country to set out its "local development framework".

"We have identified enough land for 8,500 homes but not all sites will be chosen. Some of them have been put forward by landowners and have no chance of getting consent.

"We still need enough land for another 2,500 across the district and maybe another 2,000 if we look beyond the plan period," he told The Hunts Post.

"This exercise is part of developing the evidence base for the local development frameworks.

People should not go away with the idea that, just because a site is included at this stage of the process, it is going to be developed."

HDC's preferred options are expected to emerge in a little over a year. They, along with other elements of the framework, will be examined at public inquiries.

Huntingdon's deputy town clerk, Karen Cameron, said her committee had noted the document and would examine any planning application that subsequently emerged on its own merits.

Some suggested Huntingdon sites and potential number of homes:

Gas depot, Mill Common: 22

West of town centre: 400+

Stukeley Road bus garage: 37

Land at Sapley Park/Kings Ripton Road: 350

Old Houghton Road: 42

Land at Mayfield Road: 30

Huntingdon fire station: 35

Newton Court's car park: 12

Anglian Water offices: 75

Hunts Regional College: 120