Leeds City Council was selected as a pilot authority for the Government's brownfield land register project to help lead the way in bringing forward previously developed land for new homes.
The Council worked with the Department for Communities and Local Government to help inform guidance on the operation of the brownfield registers. The registers will help house builders identify suitable sites quickly, speeding up the construction of new homes. The government has pledged to get planning permission in place on 90% of suitable brownfield sites for housing. To help achieve this goal, the government is to enable ‘permission in principle’ to be granted for housing-led development sites listed on new brownfield registers as part of the recent Housing and Planning Act 2016.
The Council will have the final say on which sites are on the register and which sites will have permission in principle. When deciding on which sites to include in the register, the Council will consider the housing growth ambitions of the Core Strategy and Site Allocations Plan.
As part of pilot project, the Council put together a register of suitable sites with a total capacity of over 30,000 new homes sourced from the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). The new formal requirement is for the register to be kept in two parts. The Council has produced a formal Part 1 register and the accompanying map of sites is published before the annual 31 December deadline, this will be reviewed at least once a year. The map of sites is hosted here .
Part 2 allows the Council to select sites from Part 1 and grant Permission in Principle (PIP) for housing-led development, after undertaking necessary requirements for publicity, notification and consultation. Entry onto Part 1 of the register does not guarantee that this site will progress onto Part 2 of the register or receive planning permission. Preparatory work on Part 2 commenced in 2018 and will continue in early 2019.
The Council is welcoming comments from the public on the sites included in the register and asking landowners to put forward sites for consideration in the future register. The sites must be previously developed and able to accommodate 5 or more dwellings or be at least 0.25 hectares in size.
If you would like to submit a site to the next register that you think could be developed for housing, please send details of the location and availability of the site including an outline plan to brownfieldlandregister@leeds.gov.uk .