Almost 1.5m homes could be built on brownfield sites in England, report finds

"Almost 1.5m new homes could be built on brownfield sites in England to avoid encroaching on green belt and meet the government target for housing growth by the end of this parliament, new figures suggest. But despite the scale of brownfield land available, developers are pushing to build on green land, including increased housebuilding on and adjacent to areas of outstanding natural beauty."

"The countryside charity CPRE, which obtained the figures from councils all over England, is calling for the government to enforce its brownfield-first approach in order to fulfil the target of 1.5m new homes by the end of this parliament in the face of increasing development on green land. Roger Mortlock, the chief executive officer of the CPRE, said: If the government is serious about a brownfield-first approach, it needs more teeth"

"Analysis of the 2023 and 2024 brownfield registers kept by local authorities across England reveals the number of sites available has risen by 16% in the 12 months to 2024. There are 30,257 sites available, covering 32,884 hectares (81,223 acres) that local councils have identified as suitable for 1.49m dwellings, the data shows. Brownfield sites are a constantly renewing resource, the CPRE says."

Almost 1.5 million homes could be developed on brownfield land across England, avoiding green belt loss and meeting the government's housing target by parliament's end. Local authority brownfield registers list 30,257 sites covering 32,884 hectares identified as suitable for approximately 1.49 million dwellings, a 16% rise in a year. Over 54% of sites already have planning permission and are considered deliverable within five years, providing shovel-ready capacity for roughly 790,000 properties. The countryside charity CPRE calls for stronger enforcement of a brownfield-first policy to curb rising development on green land and protected landscapes.

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