Unused Brownfield Development Land In Sussex Totals To Size Of Littlehampton

Saturday, 24 October 2020 06:00

According to new figures by charity CPRE, the total area of unused brownfield development land in Sussex is approximately the size of Littlehampton.

The charity’s ‘State of Brownfield Report 2020’ shows that there are 1,007 acres of abandoned brownfield sites in Sussex.

These brownfield sites would provide enough development land to satisfy Sussex’s entire current Local Plan housing requirement for the next three and a half years - or for nearly 2 years under the government’s proposed changes to the housing calculations.

CPRE Sussex Director, Kia Trainor, said:

“It’s a travesty that so much brownfield land, in need of regeneration and revival, is lying idle whilst our green spaces which are vital for wildlife and our wellbeing are being lost to concrete.

“The system needs to change so that brownfield land is revitalized before we lose any more of the countryside which is even more important at this time of climate and ecological emergency.”

The area with the most brownfield in Sussex is Brighton and Hove which has a total of 185 acres of brownfield spread over 172 sites. According to CPRE, this would be enough for more than 9,000 dwellings.

Nationally, the new report shows that there is enough brownfield land for 1.3 million new homes and over half a million already have planning permission.

The figures demonstrate that there is already enough land available in England to meet the government’s ambition to build 300,000 homes per year for the next 5 years.

Commenting on the latest figures, Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said:

“Today’s figures clearly show that the planning system is not what is ailing our housing market. If there is enough land in the planning system to meet the government’s own housing targets, what will an overhaul of the planning system, with rushed and untested changes, really achieve?

“It’s clear the government has gravely misdiagnosed the problem – slow build-out rates and market-led housing are blocking the quality affordable housing that rural communities are crying out for.”