What is a brownfield register?
The government introduced new regulations in April 2017 which mean that the Council is required to prepare and annually review a brownfield register. A brownfield register is a list of sites on brownfield land within the district that are considered to be suitable and available for residential development within the next 15 years. There are certain criteria that a site must meet in order to be included on the Council’s register - these include being capable of supporting at least 5 new homes or being larger than 0.25 hectares.
The regulations set out two different ‘parts’ to a brownfield register. Part 1 will provide a comprehensive list of all brownfield sites in a local authority area that are considered suitable for housing. Part 2 of the register provides a list of only those sites which the Council is granting permission in principle for – a new type of planning consent which grants permission for a specific scale of development on a specific site without needing an application. At the current time, Rochford District Council does not propose to grant permission in principle on any brownfield sites therefore Part 2 of the register has not been prepared.
More information on these regulations are available on the Government’s website - there is a link to this in the Related Content section.
What is brownfield land?
Brownfield land, sometimes referred to as Previously Developed Land, is land that is currently or has previously been developed. This generally means land which contains permanent man-made structures, such as buildings, hard-surfaces or infrastructure. The definition does, however, exclude private residential gardens, parks, allotments, mineral extraction and agricultural sites (such as farms and nurseries), therefore these sites will not be included on the Council’s register.
How have sites been identified and assessed?
The register has been informed from a number of sources, including the Council’s recently published Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) which assessed a range of sites across the district on their suitability, availability and achievability for residential and employment development over the next 15 years. Other sources of information include Council records and monitoring files.
When will the brownfield register be published?
The Brownfield Land Register is available to download under ‘Related Content’. It consists of a report and a register (csv file).