Redevelopment of brownfield land in England

Project title: Redevelopment of brownfield land in England and the impact on social, environmental and economic outcomes

Project duration: August 2024-December 2025

Funder: CPRE

Project leader for SPE: Professor Danielle Sinnett

Other UWE Bristol researchers:

• Dr Owen Cranshaw
• Dr Reinhard Weisser
• Dr Harry West
• Dr Grazyna Wiejak-Roy

Research partners/collaborators:

• University of Manchester (Principal Investigator: Professor Ada Wassink)
• University of East London
• Stolon Studio

The reuse of brownfield land for housing and mixed-use development has been a key tenet of planning policy for around 25 years. The premise is that redeveloping brownfield sites can tackle health and economic inequalities in our towns and cities at the same time as delivering new houses and other uses for people. The aim of this study was to explore the social, economic and environmental impacts of brownfield sites and their redevelopment. We sought to answer the following questions:

• What is the economic impact of brownfield sites and their redevelopment?
• What is the impact of brownfield sites and their redevelopment on social and environmental outcomes?
• How do the economic, social and environmental impacts of development on brownfield sites compare with those for greenfield development?

First, we carried out a rapid evidence assessment to explore these questions and understand the barriers and enablers to brownfield redevelopment. Second, we used a combination of secondary data related to the presence of brownfield land in each Lower Super Output Area (representing around 1,500 residents per LSOA) of England to estimate the exposure to brownfield land over a 20 year period.

Brownfield exposure was measured in absolute terms as counts of brownfield sites and in relative terms as percentage of brownfield area within neighbourhoods or across extended neighbourhoods. The relationships between brownfield exposure and a suite of socioeconomic outcomes, Gross Value Added and housing affordability ratios were modelled to assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of changes in exposure to brownfield sites over time.

We further explored whether there was a difference between these outcomes in areas with development located on predominantly brownfield versus greenfield sites.

• Sinnett, D., Miner, P. (2025). Barriers and enablers to brownfield redevelopment for housing: Uncertainty and risk [Conference Abstract]. UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, Ulster University, Belfast. 

The rapid evidence review found that the benefits of brownfield development result from:

• removal of a nuisance (i.e. the contamination, underused, vacant or derelict land)
• redevelopment of the site
• regeneration of the surrounding neighbourhood and
• costs avoided from the greenfield development.

Despite this, there are significant barriers to delivering a brownfield first approach to housing delivery. These can be categorised as site conditions, planning and regulatory conditions, and market conditions. However, underpinning many of these is the inherent uncertainty of delivering development on brownfields, for example, due to presence of contamination, ground conditions, ownership issues, public acceptability and competing agendas in planning. These come together to increase the risk or perception of risk, which affects developers’ ability to secure finance and have confidence that the development will remain viable. These barriers have a corresponding set of enablers most of which relate to derisking planning, either by improving the market conditions directly or indirectly, or proactive planning.

For more information about the project, please contact Professor Danielle Sinnett (danielle.sinnett@uwe.ac.uk).