Question
A recent report from the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) says Reading has 140 brownfield sites, 126.35 hectares, sufficient for 10,124 houses – the largest housing capacity in the county. It also claims that across Berkshire there are 359 such sites across the county, which would be sufficient to build at least 21,000 homes! This is more than enough to solve local housing need. In contrast Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) have listed only 25 sites on their Brownfield Register, 21 of which are already under construction. Are WBC engaged in any discussions across the wider Berkshire area about sharing housing need, in particular, regarding using Brownfield sites, such as those identified by the CPRE?
Minutes:
Question:
A recent report from the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) says Reading has 140 brownfield sites, 126.35 hectares, sufficient for 10,124 houses – the largest housing capacity in the county. It also claims that across Berkshire there are 359 such sites across the county, which would be sufficient to build at least 21,000 homes! This is more than enough to solve local housing need. In contrast Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) have listed only 25 sites on their Brownfield Register, 21 of which are already under construction. Are WBC engaged in any discussions across the wider Berkshire area about sharing housing need, in particular, regarding using Brownfield sites, such as those identified by the CPRE?
Mr Stevens was unable to attend the meeting, it was agreed that a written response would be provided, and is included below:
Answer:
Brownfield land registers provide a list of previously development land that the local planning authority considers to be appropriate for residential development, having regard to the following nationally set criteria:
· 0.25 hectares or able to deliver at least 5 dwellings or more;
· Suitable in planning terms (when considered against national and local planning policies);
· Available (the landowner / promoter has expressed an intention to sell or develop the land and there are no known impediments to it being delivered),
· Achievable (development is likely to start within 15 years).
It is important to note that sites identified in registers include those with planning permission and those that are already allocated in local plans for housing. This represents the vast majority of sites and capacity in registers, with new opportunities promoted by landowners being only a small proportion.
The information you quote does not draw a distinction between sites with planning permission, those which are already allocated, and those which offer potential new capacity.
Reading Borough Council’s current brownfield land register includes 142 sites. Of these 81 have planning permission or a pending planning application. Of the remaining 61, 41 sites are already allocated within the Reading Local Plan, leaving only 20 sites as having potential new capacity. The indicated minimum capacity of these 20 sites is assessed by Reading Borough Council as 324 homes.
A similar situation exists for the registers of the other Berkshire local authorities with the vast majority of identified sites already having planning permission or being allocated for housing within local plans. In the case of Bracknell Forest Council, there are no sites identified which do not already have planning permission or are adopted or draft allocations within their local plan.
Turning to the question of engagement, we do engage with other local authorities on planning policy matters, including housing need and supply, and we will continue to do so.
It is misleading however, to suggest that there are substantial opportunities to redistribute housing needs between local authorities. All local authorities are having to carefully consider the role of undeveloped, greenfield land in planning to meet the future need for housing.
The potential of the vast majority of available brownfield land is already known and accounted for in guiding how much greenfield land may be needed for development in future and is informing discussions accordingly.’