01 / Introduction

Developing land that has previously been built on – brownfield sites – is arguably unavoidable in the UK. Greenfield land is limited, and protecting what remains of it curbs carbon emissions, supports natural habitats and air quality, and prevents unnecessary urban sprawl. By contrast, brownfield land is plentiful across every region of England, according to countryside charity CPRE. The body, which tracks land development, says areas particularly ripe for redevelopment include the North-west, with capacity for 167,461 new homes on brownfield sites, Yorkshire and Humber (108,790 homes) and the West Midlands (99,600 homes).

There is a political imperative to using brownfield sites for building. The government is committed to its levelling up agenda, boosting the economy through housebuilding and renewed industry throughout the UK. Regenerating poor-quality or abandoned industrial and residential sites in under-supported regions is a clear means of achieving this.

Boris Johnson, when prime minister, supported this strategy in a 2021 party conference speech: “You can see how much room there is to build the homes that young families need in this country, not on green fields, not just jammed in the South-east, but beautiful homes on brownfield sites in places where homes make sense.” Funding mechanisms such as the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) have since been launched to support the development of disused land.

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