The Government intends to introduce a new requirement for local planning authorities to compile a Brownfield Register. This will list all the brownfield sites considered suitable for housing development. Brownfield (or previously developed land) is defined in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
Through Brownfield Registers, a standard set of information will be kept up-to-date (annually) and made publicly available to help provide certainty for developers and communities and encourage investment in local areas.
South Cambridgeshire District Council is one of 15 local planning authorities who agreed to first pilot the Brownfield Register and provide feedback to the Government on the issues arising. This will help develop guidance for all local planning authorities when they come to compile Brownfield Registers.
IMPORTANT NOTES – The sites within the Pilot Brownfield Register are included in their entirety (including both greenfield and brownfield land) as the published source information does not enable the extent of brownfield land to be specifically identified, therefore the total land and number of homes are for the whole site rather than the land and homes on suitable brownfield land only.
The Government will publish secondary legislation and guidance to local planning authorities for the preparation of Brownfield Registers in due course. Once this legislation is enacted local planning authorities will be required to prepare a Brownfield Register. When this happens, the Council will formally prepare a register.