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Enough Brownfield Land For 1M Homes

Posted: 04/09/2006

New figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government recently suggest that existing "brownfield" land could accommodate up to one million new homes. The annual round up estimated that 63,500 hectares of previously developed land had been available for development in 2005.

Forty four percent (27,600 hectares) of this land could be suitable for housing, with the remaining land available for other uses such as commerce or recreation. In the three south-east regions, where demand for housing is highest, the department say there is enough land to accommodate over 400,000 new homes.

There are still many new "brownfield" sites being made available every year, and seventy four per cent of all new developments are currently built on "brownfield" land, up from fifty six per cent in 1997... This improved use of brownfield land is reflected in an eleven percent reduction in the amount of land left lying derelict or vacant compared to five years ago.

Lords Planning Minister, Baroness Kay Andrews said: "This Government has made it clear that suitable brownfield land must be a priority for any new development and that is why three-quarters of all new developments are already being built on previously developed sites. There is a real need to build more homes if we are to meet the housing needs of future generations and these statistics show that many of these could go on re-used sites.

"In some areas it may be necessary to bring forward other sites if we are to meet local demand, but there are other areas where local authorities could be doing more with the land that is already available. By making the most of suitable brownfield land, local authorities can continue to protect the countryside whilst ensuring there are more homes available for first time buyers."

Draft planning policy on housing (PPS 3) encourage local authorities to continue to consider how to best use previously developed sites and proposes new requirements for them to develop "brownfield" strategies, including pro-active work to bring suitable" brownfield" land into development.

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