Brownfield land register

What is the brownfield land register?

The 2017 regulations require that the register be updated on an annual basis from the date the first register was published.

Brownfield land registers are intended to provide up-to-date and consistent information on sites that local authorities consider are appropriate for residential development. The government hopes that this will help house builders identifying suitable sites quickly and speeding up the construction of new homes.

The register can consist of two parts:

  • part 1 is a list of all sites considered to be appropriate for residential development
  • part 2 is made up of sites which have been taken forward from part 1 of the register and given planning permission in principle (PIP)

Part 1 of a register

This is comprised of sites appropriate for residential development, providing they meet the following criteria:

  • the site must be classified as previously developed land, as defined in the national planning policy framework (NPPF)
  • the site should be at least 0.25 hectares in size or capable of supporting at least 5 dwellings
  • the land is suitable for residential development
  • the land is available for residential development
  • residential development of the land is achievable

Part 1 of the register includes all sites which meet the relevant criteria regardless of their planning status. It also includes sites with extant full planning permission or outline planning permission, as well as sites without planning permission.

Part 2 of a register

Part 2 of a register is optional and allows us to select sites from part 1 and grant planning permission in principle (PIP) for housing led development. PIP will set out the principles of development in terms of the use, location and amount of development.

However, planning permission is not granted until technical details consent is applied for and approved by the local planning authority. We do not anticipate any sites in part 2 at this stage.

Updated format

An updated format was published in October 2019 of the brownfield land register. This is set out in the brownfield land registers data standard published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). This requires the register to be presented in a spreadsheet style and published in a standard data format.