The purpose of a site allocations document is to focus on specific locations to decide which areas could be subject to significant change or future development.

Consultation with local residents is central to ensuring that the final site allocations document reflects local needs and future requirements. To create a development plan document such as the site allocations document, a local authority has to go through a statutory process to ensure that the plan is sustainable, based on community input and involvement, and creates a plan for implementation.

The diagram below shows the process of developing a site allocations development plan document from inception to formal adoption.

Site Allocations Development Plan Document
Stage One : Issues and Options
Mid Beds invite landowners, developers and agents to submit details of any land that they believe to be suitable for residential or employment development.	January-March 2007
A sustainability appraisal and various other technical information is collated for all submitted sites.	April-December 2007
Round One -Issues and Options consultation offering members of the public the opportunity to comment on just under 400 initial sites.	February-April 2008
Round Two - Issues and Options consultation. Approximately 70 additional sites and proposals were also put forward by developers/landowners during the previous round of consultation. This second round of the consultation offers members of the public the opportunity to comment on these additional sites and proposals.	← We ARE HERE July-August 2008
Stage Two: Preferred Options
Mid Beds identify a number of preferred sites based on the outcomes of stage one.	September-December 2008
A statutory period of six weeks of public consultation will take place offering members of the public an opportunity to comment further on the sites that have been selected as preferred options.	January-February 2009
Stage Three: Draft Site Allocations Document and submission to the Secretary of State
Mid Beds prepare the draft site allocations document and submit it to the Secretary of State.	Timings subject to Confirmation
A statutory period of six weeks of public consultation will take place offering members of the public an opportunity to comment on the draft site allocations document submitted to the Secretary of State.
The draft site allocations document will be subject to an examination in public in front of an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. The planning inspector will then publish their binding report making final recommendations.
Site Allocations Document Formally Adopted	Timings subject to Confirmation