Brownfield land for 1.54m new homes in England, and 26,779 in Hertfordshire

New research from CPRE shows that there is now enough brownfield land in England for more than 1.54 million new homes, enough to exceed the government’s entire 1.5 million target.

CPRE’s latest brownfield research has been compiled from each local Council’s publicly available Brownfield Land Register, all across England. These also reveal that 859,722 new homes on previously developed land have already been granted planning permission but have not yet been built.

Government could meet housing target without building in the countryside

These brownfield figures are hugely significant for the government’s ambition to build 1.5 million new homes. With enough identified brownfield land for more than 1.54 million new homes, the government could deliver its housing target without having to build in the Green Belt or on greenfield land in the wider countryside.

Our research findings come just days after Housing Secretary Angela Rayner admitted there is only a ‘slim chance’ of the government meeting its 1.5 million homes pledge.

Since introducing grey belt in 2024 the government has significantly weakened protections for the countryside and Green Belt, when it should be putting real teeth into enforcing its “brownfield first” policy. Brownfield sites are typically located near infrastructure such as public transport, schools and healthcare facilities, and with planning permission already in place for 859,722 houses, these could be delivered rapidly.

Enough space for 26,779 homes on brownfield land in Hertfordshire

Every year we compile the latest brownfield data for Hertfordshire’s ten districts and boroughs, from their own Brownfield Land Registers. This year Hertfordshire local authorities have identified enough brownfield land for 26,779 new homes as can be seen in the table below. What’s more, these figures:

• are stated by the Councils as the minimum number of new dwellings and on some sites more new dwellings are possible; and
• only reflect sites where the landowner has come forward.

Also, these brownfield figures do not include the 5,057 long term empty homes all across Hertfordshire that could and should be brought back into occupancy.

So the actual opportunity is for well over 30,000 new homes for local people, just by redeveloping brownfield land and bringing empty homes back into occupancy.

Hertfordshire brownfield data

Redeveloping brownfield land is a win-win for everyone. New homes on brownfield land reduce the need to utilise countryside, make use of existing infrastructure, and they should be the priority rather than Green Belt.

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A summary of CPRE’s England-wide brownfield research is available to download here.