A fifth of property professionals back brownfield site development

According to a poll from Together, 18 per cent said better access to finance to help developers meet brownfield site retrofitting plans should be one of the government’s top focuses. 

This comes after housing secretary Michael Gove instructed local councils to prioritise building on brownfield sites if housebuilding drops below a certain level. 

Making use of existing resources was also mentioned in the survey, as a quarter of those polled said they wanted support from the government to regenerate disused buildings and sites. 

Some 18 per cent of respondents to Together’s poll felt that meeting Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) standards would be the challenge for them this year, while 21 per cent wanted more tax benefits and initiatives to encourage the growth of commercial properties.  

Unlocking residential opportunities

Elliot Vure, director of corporate sales at Together, said: “Solving the UK’s housing crisis is fast becoming a central issue in the build-up to general election. Plans to expediate planning permission laws and unlock newfound residential opportunities by zoning in on brownfield sites would see more people able to access the property ladder and – so long as developers are able to fund EPC retrofitting costs – help alleviate some of the pressure around meeting climate targets.”  

He added: “The Policy Exchange think tank claims Britain needs 442,000 new homes built per year to turn the tide and make any real progress or improvement to our chronic lack-of-housing-supply issues, so factoring brownfield sites into new government housing agendas is indeed a smart and critical move. This would not only provide a solution, by levelling up in the regions to deliver growth and prosperity for future generations, but also act as a clear reminder as to how important the UK’s abandoned buildings are – not just as a valuable and energy-conscious resource for housing, but also a source of civic pride. 

“Our data shows that there are opportunities out there for developers to meet this aim by re-using unloved and abandoned wasteland. However, what we need is a coordinated and common-sense approach from funders, developers, and local council planning departments if we’re going to address the issue of housing supply on a large scale.”