THE CABINET

27 November 2017

Subject:Brownfield Land Register- Part 1

Lead Officer:John Careford

Contact on 01789 260801

Lead Member/
Portfolio Holder: Councillor C Saint

Summary

This report outlines the requirements and contents of the Brownfield Land Register Part 1.

Recommendation

That the Brownfield Land Register – Part 1 isendorsed by The Cabinet for publication by31December 2017.

  1. Background/Information
  2. The Government has set a requirement that all local councils produce and maintain a Brownfield Land Register, the purpose of which is to have up-to-date and consistent information with regard to sites that are appropriate for residential development on brownfield land within their local area.
  3. The Register will eventually comprise of two separate parts. Part 1 is to consist of all brownfield sites within the District that meet the prescribed criteria as set out in section 3 below. Part 1of the Register is mandatory and has to be published no later than the 31stDecember 2017.
  4. Part 2 of the Register is optional, and identifies brownfield sites that the Council wishes to grant Permission in Principle (PiP) for. This report deals only with Part 1 of the Register.
  5. Paragraph17 of the National Planning Policy Framework sets out the importance of utilising brownfield land for development. It encourages the re-use of previously developed land, provided it is not of high environmental value.

1.5Stratford District has traditionally, year after year,experienced much higher development on greenfield sites as opposed to brownfield. Housing development on greenfield land was the highest it has ever been during the current plan period in the year 2016/17, at 63.1%.

2.Contents of the Brownfield Land Register Part 1

2.1Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register comprises the sites that meet the criteria set out in Regulation 4 of the Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017:

(a)the land has an area of at least 0.25 hectares or is capable of supporting at least 5 dwellings;

(b)the land is suitable for residential development;

(c)the land is available for residential development; and

(d)residential development of the land is achievable.

2.2The list of sites to be included within Part 1 of the Register at the present time is attached at Appendix 1. It comprises previously developed (i.e. brownfield sites) that already have planning consent and or have been allocated for residential development. These sites are already identified and published within the Council’s Housing Sites Schedule that underpins the Core Strategy and 5 Year Land Supply. For information, the full schedule is available on the Council’s website at

2.3The Brownfield Land Register will be updated at least annually to reflect any changes to the status of sites, thus providing the opportunity for the Council to identify additional sites that meet the criteria, including sites that previously were unavailable or unsuitable or to remove any sites that are no longer available or have been implemented.

2.4There is significant overlap between the Brownfield Register and the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) technical work that is currently being prepared. In essence, the Brownfield Land Register simply lists separately previously developed SHLAA sites.

2.5It should be noted that including these sites in Part 1 of the Register does not grant the sites permission in principle; Part 1 is in essence, an information sourcethat provides a consistent picture of the amount of brownfield land across the District. It is only through Part 2 of the Register that Permission in Principle can be established.

2.6The Regulations prescribe that no consultation is required prior to the publication of Part 1 of the Register. However, if the Council wishes to prepare Part 2, this will involve a rigorous assessment of sites, public consultation before it is published. A further report would be made to The Cabinet to consider the outcome of this process in due course.

3. Options Available to the Cabinet

3.1 The following options are available to The Cabinet:

Option 1:

To endorse Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register for publication.

Option 2:

To not endorse Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register for publication. However, it is a legal requirement that the Register is to be published no later than 31stDecember 2017.

4.Members’ Comments

4.1Cllr Saint supports the approach outlined in this report.

5.Implications of the Proposal

5.1Legal/Human Rights Implications

5.1.1The publication of the Brownfield Land register is a statutory responsibility.

5.2Financial

5.2.1None identified at this stage.

5.3Environmental

5.3.1One of the objectives of national planning policy is to maximise the use of brownfield land for development. The Register will assist this process by identifying suitable opportunities.

5.4Corporate Strategy

5.4.1Key objective 2 seeks to protect the character of the District’s environment. One means of doing this is to ensure that brownfield land is used effectively for future development.

5.5Analysis of the effects on Equality

5.5.1No specific issues have been identified.

6.Risk Assessment

8.1It is emphasised that identifying sites on Part One of the Register does not give them permission in principle. That would only be the case for sites that may eventually be included in Part Two of the Register following rigorous technical assessment and consultation process.

7. Conclusion

7.1In producing Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register, Government guidance has been followed to assess the relevant sites for inclusion at this stage. As well as applying the guidance, the template produced by the Government has been used to ensure the Register is published in a format that meets the data standards specified.

Dave Webb

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR