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Commission begins first brownfield site list
An initial database of surplus brownfield land in London will be completed by the end of the year, it was announced at the first meeting of the London Land Commission today.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, and housing minister Brandon Lewis officially launched the commission at a meeting attended by representatives from London Councils, NHS England, Transport for London and Network Rail.
Savills has been enlisted to complete its preliminary list by the end of this year, which City Hall will then use to create a map to show the spread of public brownfield sites suitable for development across the city.
The commission is believed to be the first co-ordinated effort to free up surplus public land in the capital and will work across layers of government and public bodies.
It is launched after a series of planning reform announcements from the chancellor George Osborne last week, which included automatic planning permission given on all suitable brownfield sites.
The aim is to identify sites for development and speed up its release while ensuring a good return for the taxpayer and better regeneration sites across London.
Mr Johnson, who chairs the commission alongside the housing minister, said: ‘The London Land Commission will build on the great efforts we’ve already made at City Hall to ensure brownfield land that has laid empty for years is put to productive use in providing much-needed housing for Londoners.
‘In a city like ours, with its burgeoning population, it is simply madness not to act as quickly as we can to unlock more of these kinds of sites.’
The London Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) believes councils should be forced to supply data on surplus land to the new body, which was announced by chancellor George Osborne in February.
