The government has recently asked for views from the industry on its ambitions to introduce a ‘brownfield passports’ system to speed up development activity on urban sites suitable for development.
As part of the wider National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), housing secretary Angela Rayner has included a proposal on the implementation of brownfield passports. The proposal sets out in greater detail what kind of development should be regarded as acceptable and establish the default answer to suitable planning proposals as “yes” with applications being approved automatically.
In the working paper, the government said: “The proposals relate to the principle, the scale and the form of development, and the potential wider use of local development orders to grant area-wide permissions – all in a way that retains appropriate local oversight.”
Once brownfield passports have been introduced, it is imperative that local planning authorities spend sufficient time and resources to implement specific parameters that would satisfy the requirement for local housing and larger infrastructure to support these types of development. For example, local development orders (LDOs) need to be utilised to a greater extent than they are currently. LDOs mean that local authorities have the power to grant these, which authorise specific types of development within the area specified by the order without the need for a developer or housebuilder to submit an application for planning permission.
As we all know, brownfield development can be rather complex. However, the introduction of brownfield passports could reduce the risk, the cost and uncertainty associated with securing planning approval, therefore encouraging more developers, especially SME developers to invest in urban areas. This in turn represents a significant opportunity to support the government’s ambitions for much-needed affordable housing and growth, as well as giving many towns and cities in the UK a new lease of life by creating new infrastructure.
Unlocking more brownfield sites suitable for development will see an increase in the delivery of affordable housing in the UK. Affordable housing starts, especially in London, have been slow. The latest research from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government revealed affordable housing starts in London have fallen by 88% year-on-year from 26,386 to 3,156 in the 2023/24 financial year. In addition, affordable housing starts in England dropped by 39% in the same period down from 71,771 in 2022-23 to 43,439 in 2023-24.
Overall, the introduction of a brownfield passports system could really transform the planning process and accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing to meet the government’s ambitious targets of delivering 1.5 million homes over the next five years. It is also crucial that more support is available to create public and private partnerships to unlock opportunities to bring forward disused brownfield sites suitable for residential development.
Mohammed Parekh is founder and managing director at real estate development consultancy, MRP Premier Group