Brownfield Development - Previously Developed Land (PDL)
Introduction
In February 1998, the Government announced a national target for England
that at least 60 per cent of new homes are to be built on previously developed
(brownfield) land by 2008 (these figures have already been reached) –
‘Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) Note 3: Housing’ (Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister, March 2000) with subsequent amendments, outlines the
strategy for developments and any exceptions to PDL use for local authorities.
Following publication of the national target, the Urban Task Force (UTF)
Report ‘Towards an Urban Renaissance’ was published on the 29th June
1999. It set out how to provide desirable town and city dwellings for an
expected four million additional households in England over 25 years, a figure
that has subsequently been changed to 3.8 million, by 2021.
Recommendations
of
the
UTF
can
be
found
at
www.lga.gov.uk/lga/planning/urbantaskforce.htm
English Partnerships, www.englishpartnerships.co.uk, are developing the
National Brownfield Strategy. ‘Towards a National Brownfield Strategy’ was
initially published in November 2003 and work continues. The Government’s
‘Sustainable Communities Plan’ outlined the role for English Partnerships to
identify land to be used for sustainable development, especially in the Growth
Areas; additional key-worker and affordable housing; and land for community
infrastructure, employment and transport.
National land use database
‘Planning for the Communities for the Future’, a policy document from the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in 1998, led to construction of the
National Land Use Database (NLUD), dividing land use into 51 categories.
The NLUD initiative is a partnership project between the ODPM, English
Partnerships, the Improvement and Development Agency (representing the
interests of local government) and Ordnance Survey. From 2001 the survey
became an annual event with data being collected from the local planning
authorities of England.
There are two strands to the NLUD project:


Collects data on vacant and derelict sites and other previously
developed land and buildings that may be available for redevelopment
in England.
The development of a comprehensive and up to date land use map
based on Ordnance Survey MasterMapTM
For the classification of land use go to:
www.nlud.org.uk/draft_one/further_info/pdf/NLUD_v44.pdf
Previously Developed Land
Brownfield land is commonly misinterpreted as meaning contaminated land;
some is, but a better interpretation would be previously developed land (PDL).
Urban regeneration of long term empty properties is seen as important for
both meeting the 1998 national target whilst at the same time improving the
aesthetics and condition of these areas for those who live and work around
them.
The UTF overall recommendation was the creation of sustainable city living to
meet the demand for housing and minimise building on greenfield sites – with
respect to other sustainability issues the recommendations include
incorporating space for recreation, improving biodiversity and encouraging
pedestrian rights of way and public transport use within the developments. In
particular:

Greening the residential environment is included in PPG 3; it is
important to make areas desirable to live in but also to improve storm
drainage and biodiversity, layout of buildings can improve energy
efficiency.

Areas for recreation are to be incorporated in new housing areas.
‘PPG17: Sport and Recreation’ gives further guidance on the provision
of open space and playing fields.
Urban degeneration
Urban degeneration leads to derelict properties and previously developed land
becoming available for brownfield development, linking in to the NLUD project
and the Government’s Sustainable Communities Plan.
There are many causes for Urban Degeneration including:






low demand – usually attributed to area, poor quality, and least popular
housing styles, such as smaller older terraces, or tenement flats;
ignorance – owners simply don’t know how to get property back into
use;
policy – surplus property is sometimes kept due to uncertainty of future
needs (e.g. schools);
legislation – owners may not be able to afford to improve property due
to building regulations or planning requirements;
bad neighbours – including nearby pollution sources from industrial
buildings, or heavy traffic, as much as ‘people’; and
industrial/commercial re-location.
Examples of re-development in areas of urban degeneration
Even before the UTF report came out, The Peabody Trust
www.peabody.org.uk was already making creative use of brownfield land.
One of their principal activities in areas of London is redeveloping brownfield
land, often derelict industrial sites, into housing, or into mixed schemes of
homes and workspace.
Examples of the work of The Peabody Trust include:


BedZED 2002 www.bedzed.org.uk – Beddington Zero Energy
Development. This is a carbon neutral community; energy is produced
on site from renewable resources. The site was a former sewage works
turned into 100 properties with green spaces and private gardens.
Ladbroke Green www.peabody.org.uk/main/Pt4_3_2.asp in the UK
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – 308 dwellings and 17,000 sq m
of commercial space integrated on a ten acre site, a re-modelled canal
basin including preservation of a natural wetland area for biodiversity.
Building for Life www.buildingforlife.org is an informative website including
examples of projects both in the UK and abroad. It provides interesting
examples of the commitment to sustainability and the environment.
Sustainable living and work spaces have been developed in Bo 01: (The City
of Tomorrow) Malmo, Sweden. This is a former car factory site, 30ha of 600
dwellings on a pedestrianised site – renewable energy resources, specific
planting to increase biodiversity and take up of contamination from soils are
evident in parks and open spaces, cycling and walking are encouraged. There
are areas for shops, offices, restaurants and club facilities.
Building for Life is a partnership between the House Builders Federation,
CABE and the Civic Trust, all have information relating to sustainable
regeneration.
New Initiatives:
Persimmon Homes is building five houses on a Brownfield site in Salford,
these houses will be test sites for new products and building methods. To
develop eco-home accreditation, Persimmon will be looking at energy
conservation and geothermal energy supply, alternative heating systems,
rainwater use, sourcing and construction of materials, manufacturing
techniques. The Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester
(31 Jan to 2 Feb 2005) hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister, showcased this
new initiative. For further information, the feedback report for the summit is
available
at:
www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_communities/documents/divisionhom
epage/029192.hcsp
Results
The government is already exceeding its target of 60 per cent of all new
developments should be built on brownfield land. The rate of development on
brownfield land in England increased from 56 per cent in 1997 to 67 per cent
in 2003. Recently, proposals have been announced to strengthen protection
of the green belt and stricter controls have been placed on housing density to
cover more areas of high housing demand.
The national statistics on house starts/completions are at:
www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/page/odpm_hou
se_604037.xls
and by region at:
www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/page/odpm_hou
se_023723.xls