Brownfield can hold 1 million new homes, study reveals
Building on derelict land could solve housing crisis without need to touch green belt, say campaigners
ENGLAND has enough spare derelict land for one million new homes, reducing the need to build in the countryside or green belt, an investigation has revealed.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has identified previously used “brownfield” sites with a footprint the size of Birmingham that councils are sitting on when they could be using them for new homes.
Of the 64,250 acres identified, more than half already have transport and services in place, which could help deliver the Government’s target of building 300,000 new homes a year.
Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield have identified land available that would provide almost 500,000 homes, while London could supply a minimum of 170,000.
The figures have been revealed in an analysis of brownfield sites that councils have been required to compile since April 2017.
Rebecca Pullinger, CPRE planning campaigner, said: “Building on brownfield land presents a fantastic opportunity to simultaneously remove local eyesores and breathe new life into areas crying out for regeneration.
“It will help to limit the amount of countryside lost to development, and build more homes in areas where people want to live, with infrastructure, amenities and services already in place.”
The CPRE believes the one million figure may be a significant underestimate because councils are conservative over the density of housing.
Research in Enfield, north London, found space for 37,000 homes on a wide range of brownfield sites – more than 10 times the 2,170 homes on the borough’s public register.
About 120,000 potential new homes were added to registers in the past year, which the CPRE said was evidence that brownfield land could provide a steady pipeline of housing.
Ms Pullinger said: “Until we have a brownfield-first approach to development, and all types of previously developed land are considered, a large number of sites that could be transformed into desperately needed new homes will continue to be overlooked.”
The CPRE says developers see green belt development as more profitable than urban brownfield sites.
In its report it highlights remarks made by Gateshead council leader Martin Gannon who said: “You can’t move in the centre of Gateshead for brownfield sites but house builders are not interested in building homes in central Gateshead because they can’t sell them for £350,000.”
Analysis last year showed that land for 6,000 homes was released from Gateshead’s green belt in 2015, far more than on brownfield.
CPRE is backing a review by Sir Oliver Letwin, the Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister, which would give planning authorities new powers to speed up brownfield development. Councils would also get new compulsory purchase powers.
However, it warns if local planning authorities do not record the full range of suitable brownfield sites and deliver appropriately high density developments on these plots then opportunities to deliver on Government targets could be missed.
This would also result in valued green spaces and the countryside being placed at risk, it added. The CPRE is pushing for ministers to introduce a brownfield-first policy that ensures previously developed or underused land is prioritised for redevelopment.