Brownfield figures stay the same but housing potential rises
Planning authorities have upped their estimate of how many houses could be built on previously developed land in England despite the amount of brownfield land available for development remaining unchanged.
This increase is partly the result of more land being reported as potentially available but chiefly as a result of higher planned densities.
The latest official land-use statistics indicated that some 66,000 hectares of previously-developed land is available.
Of this total around 60 per cent was vacant or derelict land or buildings.
The rest was in productive use but known to be potentially available for redevelopment.
Of this land some 45 per cent was potentially available for housing. Figures supplied by planning authorities suggested some 950,000 dwellings could be accommodated on this land.
The figures showed that after a fall in the estimates of dwellings that could be built for the period 2001 to 2002 the estimates have increased by seven per cent over the 12 months between 2002 and 2003.
planningportal.gov.uk, 20th August, 2004