The Housing and Planning Bill – Planning Changes
The plans set out by the government in the Housing and Planning Bill are shocking, and Joan has covered the threats wonderfully in her blog. The Bill includes changes to the Town Planning system that purport to increase the opportunity for development on brownfield land. But what about the definition of brownfield land? In my mind, I see a flat, empty disused site with nothing in it, that could possibly use some development, so that sort of sounds ok… Let’s check that definition, in the Department for Communities and Local Governments’ Technical Consultation document: “Brownfield or previously developed land is defined in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework. Sites on brownfield registers will be required to meet this definition of previously developed land. This is a very broad definition and, apart from the exclusions, covers all land in England where there are or have been buildings or other development.…
