Register of brownfield sites to aid new developments

Local authorities across England will be required to produce, and make publically available, an up-to-date register of brownfield sites available for housing.

This is part of the government’s ambitious initiative to speed up the creation of much needed new homes across the country. Land can be freed up across England simply by highlighting derelict or underused areas so builders and developers can easily identity potential sites.

Expanding further on the register, Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell spoke of the potential investment to local areas it could bring in when communities are able to identify local underused building sites primed for redevelopment in their area.

Barwell highlighted that: ‘We need to build more homes in this country so making sure that we re-use brownfield land is crucial. We want to bring life back to abandoned sites, create thousands more homes and help protect our valued countryside.’

Through these registers, the Government has also introduced a new way of obtaining planning permission known as ‘Permission in principle’ which will encourage new development and boost housing supply. Simplifying the process for developer, ‘permission in principle’ will give more certainty on whether a site is suitable for development before working up costly proposals to obtain full planning permission.

Here at VHE, as one of the leading contaminated land and remediation contractors in the UK, we have a vast amount of experience carrying out land remediation work on residential and commercial development sites for owners and housing developers, including helping them navigate the planning conditions attached to contaminated brownfield land. Working with numerous housing developers such as Strata Homes and Keepmoat, we have tackled a diverse array of brownfield land and know exactly how to reduce development costs and increase the feasibility of residential construction.

VHE understand what developers expect of their remediation and infrastructure contractors and are able to develop and deliver the most appropriate cost effective solutions. Feel free to contact us now on 01226 320150 to discuss your requirements.