The previous Labour Government took bold steps to make sure that brownfield sites, such as disused industrial areas, were considered first for development before greenfield sites, such as the green belt. Doing this would keep infrastructure costs down and would ensure that vacant, ugly land was brought back into use and was no longer an eyesore for local communities.
However, the "brownfield first" policy was scrapped by the Coalition despite concerns over the repercussions this might have on greenbelt land and the countryside. It seems that Eric Pickles, Communities Secretary, has moved to calm fears, saying, "we are making the most of every single square inch of brownfield land."
This is not, though, the view of some new research carried out jointly by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the National Trust. Director of Conservation at the National Trust, Peter Nixon, said, "We are very concerned that the principal of "brownfield first" is being eroded as the new plans emerge.
"Our research suggests a growing number of greenfield sites are being prioritised for development with developers arguing that brownfield sites – many of which already have planning permission for construction – are now unprofitable to build on."
The new report uses the case study of Salford, which had plans for 10,300 homes on brownfield sites. However, under the new National Planning Policy Framework, such sites do not count towards the "deliverable" five year housing supply, which means the development is not considered economically viable in accordance with this key policy document.
In addition, the council recently turned down an application to develop 350 homes on a greenfield site. This decision was overturned by the Secretary of State because of the controversial "presumption in favour of sustainable development" and the fact that Salford does not yet have a Local Plan in place to guide development.
The joint research between LGiU and the National Trust, which analyses the new planning regime, can be seen on the LGiU's website, available at http://cedr.ec/pn.
