CPRE releases brownfield land register toolkit

With appreciation to our colleagues at CPRE Lancashire, we’re pleased to make available our brownfield land register toolkit, available to download below.  Our hope is that this toolkit will help communities in highlighting brownfield sites in their local area, both to reduce development pressure on the countryside and to encourage the regeneration of unsightly or derelict sites.

Prioritising the redevelopment of brownfield sites helps prevent unnecessary loss of green space and the countryside. It also prevents other harmful effects of development such as tree and hedgerow removal. Brownfield land is, broadly speaking, land that has previously been developed, as opposed to greenfield land, such as the countryside and the Green Belt, which has never been built on. You can read more in our introduction to brownfield article.

This toolkit aims to facilitate the redevelopment of brownfield land by helping people to tell their local council about brownfield sites that might be developed, and to get them included in their council’s  Brownfield Register.

How can brownfield sites be highlighted?

Inclusion in the Register should increase a site’s chances of being brought forward for development. More comprehensive information will enable better use of all available brownfield land, and reduce pressure on open green spaces. Research by CPRE suggests that brownfield sites, particularly smaller ones, are still being missed out of these lists, and that planning departments face difficulties in identifying small sites and getting them built out. At the same time as Government is encouraging smaller developers and the use of smaller sites, austerity and resource constraints are making it harder for councils to get full, up-to-date intelligence about brownfield sites – especially smaller ones.

Community involvement is essential

In order to increase the supply of brownfield land, increasing community participation in the process is essential.  This toolkit enables communities and planning departments to work together to maximise the potential for brownfield development in their areas. It has been road tested with communities and local planning officers and it should help communities make the best use of their on-the-ground knowledge to provide planners with the information they need.

Download the toolkit here

CPRE Hertfordshire brownfield land register toolkit