CPRE welcomes new brownfield registers across the country
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Regulations requiring local authorities to develop and publish brownfield land registers come into force on Easter Day (16 April).
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has campaigned for brownfield registers since the requirement was dropped for local authorities to submit brownfield data to the National Land Use Database in 2010.
We believe that identifying brownfield land effectively will make it easier for planning authorities to make sure brownfield development is prioritised over green field sites. Our campaigning initially helped to secure a place for the registers in the Housing and Planning Act (2016). Now, secondary legislation has been laid requiring local authorities to develop, by the end of 2017, a register of brownfield land that they have identified as suitable for housing development.
CPRE’s research of 53 registers piloted last year estimated that at least 1.1 million homes could be delivered on suitable brownfield sites.
Rebecca Pullinger, planning campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said:
“These new regulations should mean that we can develop an increasingly accurate and up-to-date picture of the housing capacity of brownfield land across England. The registers will play an important role in protecting our countryside.
“For brownfield registers to be effective, the Government must make sure that local authorities are adequately resourced, so that they can prioritise bringing brownfield sites forward and helping them get developed as a priority over less sustainable greenfield sites. There also need to be opportunities for small and medium sized developers to make the most of their potential.
“On their part, councils must take a proactive approach to identifying and assessing brownfield land, and utilise mechanisms such as the capacity fund.”
