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NHF map shows space for one-million homes on brownfield land
The National Housing Federation has produced a detailed map outlining where almost a million homes could be built on England’s brownfield land.
The housing association representative body has identified more than 17,000 brownfield sites totalling around 27,700 hectares, which could provide space for more than 961,000 homes.
Simon Nunn, executive director of member services at the NHF, urged housing associations to use the interactive map to identify locations for new development.
“Up until now, housing associations have had to work on a piecemeal basis with their local authority or other stakeholders to identify which pieces of land are available, which of them are brownfield land and when they can be used for construction,” he said. “This is incredibly time-consuming.”
Mr Nunn added: “England is short of four million homes. If we’re to meet this demand by 2031 we need to build 340,000 homes every year. It’s common sense that brownfield sites should be used to help meet this staggering need.
“In almost every community, there are pieces of land that have been built on before, but are now sitting derelict. From old petrol stations to disused military buildings, there are thousands of acres of brownfield land that are blotting landscapes all across the country. Taken together, building on this land has the potential to hugely improve the housing crisis.”
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NHF research from May this year showed that undersupply of homes in England stood at around 340,000 a year. The body said that building on unused brownfield sites would not be enough to meet supply, meaning that green belt development should be considered.
Mr Nunn said: “We also need to look at building homes on disused public land, as well as sites that have not been built on before. This will have to include some parts of the green belt where appropriate but the housing crisis is one of the most serious domestic challenges in Britain today. We need to do everything we can to address it.”
