Brownfield sites explained
Putting it simply a brownfield site is somewhere ie a piece of land that has previously been built on. And is considered to be land that is not being used partially or fully. Greenfield and brownfield are basically the opposites of each other. If you don’t know what greenfield land is it’s simply land that has never been built on. You may have heard brownfield land referred to as previously developed land. Just because it’s called brownfield land it doesn’t mean it’s brown. Brownfield land has a formal definition unlike greenfield land. You can find the definition of greenfield land in the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework).
CPRE known as The Countryside Charity official statistics show that there’s enough brownfield land to build 1,061,346 housing sites over 21,00 separate sites that means it covers 25,000 hectares in the United Kingdom. Brownfield sites can be found almost anywhere and appear in many different types. Most brownfield sites are located on derelict or abandoned industrial land. It could also be commercial or retail property , it could also be land were housing was previously built.
Brownfield sites can typically be found anywhere such as derelict steel works, old mining sites, power stations or military bases. These sites don’t necessarily have to have had properties built on them; they could be railways land, airfield spaces or storage yards.
Benefits of developing on brownfield sites
- Brownfield sites are usually situated in urban areas , where developing land is welcomed and needed.
- Brownfield sites are usually cost effective and cheaper to invest in or buy.
- Brownfield sites usually have easily accessible necessities on site such as gas, electricity, water and drainage.
- You don’t have to worry about infrastructure as it’s already there, such as public transportation, rail roads and shops close by.
- If brownfield land is part of a regeneration zone or development zone there could be certain incentives available to help with the cost of your redevelopment.
- Brownfield sites are usually easier to gain planning permission, most local authorities are keen to allow planning permission and want to grant permission where they think it’s necessary.
- Brownfield sites and projects very rarely received negative comments or rejection as locals often want to see developments and improve their area.
Disadvantages of developing on brownfield sites
- Brownfield sites aren’t always situated in lavish luxurious areas, you may find that there are still some heavy industrial sites operating close at hand.
- Brownfield land is sometimes situated in less sought after areas and may be less appealing and the value of land around could be low.
- Brownfield land isn’t always straight forward, there may be demolition or clean up work that needs to be done before you start your new project, this can sometimes become expensive.
- Brownfield land may be contaminated due to its previous use such as toxic materials or pollution.
- Brownfield land can sometimes be hard to build new products on; you may need to change plans to fit in with existing buildings.
- Brownfield buildings can sometimes come with listed buildings attached to them meaning they need to be preserved, this could affect the modifications you wish to make.
- Brownfield sites have sometimes been sitting empty for a long time meaning they could have been occupied by wildlife, plants or animals.
Developing on brownfield sites - what to know
You may want to check out the government policy Brownfield first , it’s set out to encourage developers to purchase brownfield land as opposed to greenfield land. The policy was released by the government in the 1990s , and a similar policy is still being promoted by the current government. You may also want to check out the Brownfield Register , this provides all up to date information on residential sites that are available to develop and shows the sites that have been approved to develop in principle. The brownfield register also lets you look at brownfield sites that have previously been re-developed , allowing for potential investors and developers to access and preview brownfield land available to them.