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Charity hits out at planning reforms as research reveals there is enough brownfield land for 1.3 million homes
A national charity has accused the government of “gravely misdiagnosing” the problems with housing delivery after it published new research that suggests there is enough brownfield land in England for 1.3 million homes, of which more than half a million already have planning permission.
CPRE, the national countryside charity, has today published a report which also suggested that there are currently enough homes in the planning system to meet the government’s delivery targets.
Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, said the figures show that the government has “gravely misdiagnosed the problem”, in reference to the government’s plans to introduce wide-ranging reforms to the planning system to speed up housing delivery.
CPRE’s analysis, which is primarily based on data from brownfield registers, found that there is enough brownfield land for 1.3 million homes.
Brownfield registers are compiled and maintained by local authorities to provide public information about the availability of brownfield land, which is land that has previously been built on and now sits vacant.
CPRE found that there are currently 565,564 units with planning permission on brownfield land, accounting for 53% of the total brownfield land capacity.
It follows a report in February this year from the Local Government Association that found there are more than one million homes that have been granted planning permission but have not yet been built.
This means that brownfield sites, combined with other sites that have received planning permission but have not yet been built, could provide more than 1.5 million new homes, CPRE argued.
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It said that this proves there is already enough land in the planning system to meet the government’s target of delivering 300,000 homes per year over the next five years.
In August, the government unveiled its controversial Planning White Paper, which it promised would lead to “the most radical planning reforms since World War II”.
At the forefront of the proposals was the plan to create a ‘zonal’ planning system in England, which would see planning permission automatically granted in areas designated for growth.
Following the findings of its report, CPRE is calling on the government to introduce a genuine ‘brownfield-first’ policy to ensure previously developed land is prioritised for redevelopment over green spaces and countryside.
The charity said registers must act as “a true pipeline” by identifying all possible brownfield sites and recording their suitability for uses other than housing, for example uses that protect the biodiversity or heritage value of sites.
Mr Truman added: “Today’s figures clearly show that the planning system is not what is ailing our housing market. If there is enough land in the planning system to meet the government’s own housing targets, what will an overhaul of the planning system, with rushed and untested changes, really achieve?”
He added: “As things stand, the government’s proposed changes will result in a free for all, allowing big house builders to build what they like, where they like and when they like.
“Now more than ever is it vital that the government listens to local communities, promotes a genuinely ‘brownfield-first’ policy and brings forward more brownfield sites for development so we can build more affordable, well-designed homes.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The government is overhauling the country’s outdated planning system to make it easier to build on brownfield sites, protecting our valued green spaces and greenbelt for future generations.
“Our planned reforms will deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes communities need, placing environmental protection, community engagement and sustainability at the heart of our reforms.
“We’ll increase the supply of land available for new homes where it is needed to address affordability pressures, support economic growth and the renewal of our towns and cities.”
