Brownfield land assessment for future redevelopment to be 'transformed' by new technology, says report
The way in which Local Authorities identify and assess land for future redevelopment could be transformed, due to advances in technology and changing information needs, according to a detailed study of the ten year-old National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land (NLUD-PDL) published today.
Recommendations for the review of NLUD – the register of brownfield sites throughout England and a key part of the National Brownfield Strategy – were commissioned by national regeneration agency English Partnerships and produced by a cross-disciplinary team of researchers at Kingston University. The recommendations from the research could see NLUD-PDL replaced with a system which would be even more accurate, more comprehensive and easier for Local Authorities to maintain, and come at a time when the need for accurate identification of brownfield land is more urgent than ever to meet ambitious Government housing targets. This includes accommodating 60% of all new homes on brownfield land by 2020.
Speaking at the AGI Conference in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Olga McFarland, Senior Researcher at English Partnerships, welcomed the recommendations to English Partnerships and Government, saying: 'This review is timely. Since NLUD-PDL was first implemented, technology and policy have moved on faster than anyone could have imagined. As national brownfield advisor for England, English Partnerships is committed to identifying and helping to unlock land for redevelopment and other uses - a key strand of the National Brownfield Strategy. As such, we welcome future improvement to and development of NLUD’s capabilities as part of our strategic toolkit, particularly as we move towards the new Homes and Communities Agency.'
The research looked at the need for brownfield data; possible improvements to NLUD; and the needs of a wider audience for information of this kind. Key recommendations from the researchers include:
The recommendations will shortly be submitted and considered by Government for future implementation.
Background
The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land (NLUD PDL) database has been in place for almost ten years, and ultimately aims to “provide a consistent, comprehensive and up to date record of all Previously Developed Land and buildings in England that may be available for development, whether vacant, derelict, or still in productive use” (NLUD Partnership – English Partnerships and CLG).
In the early 1990s, the original objective of Government was a comprehensive database that recorded all land use in Great Britain. The database was to be known as NLUD Full or NLUD baseline but implementation was judged to be prohibitively expensive given the state of technology at the time. In order to enable government to monitor emerging policies relating to brownfield land, NLUD was adapted to record only Previously Developed Land and was not designed to link in any way to other local spatial planning data processes.
A survey of local planning authorities was conducted by English Partnerships in 2005, which highlighted both the limitations of the current (Microsoft Access) data entry management tool (DEMT) and the issues around this. In summary, it was found that a mix of external (e.g. government and/or software limitations) and internal LA pressures, coupled with its voluntary nature, often resulted in a low priority being given to NLUD-PDL returns. Nevertheless, the level of returns actually achieved has been consistently high (95% in 2007).
In late 2007, Kingston University was commissioned to carry out a scoping study to review the current NLUD-PDL system. The aims of the study were threefold; (1) to advise English Partnerships and Communities and Local Government (CLG) on ways to improve and further develop NLUD-PDL, (2) to evaluate the data collection process, and (3) to assess ways of simplifying or perhaps even automating the collection of data by embracing the raft of new technology now available to local planning authorities – including advancements in the field of GIS.
Recommendations for the first National Brownfield Strategy for England put forward by English Partnerships were formally accepted by Government at English Partnerships’ National Brownfield Conference in March 2008. A total of nine policy strands will be implemented across four parallel strands between now and 2013:
Recommendations for the review of NLUD – the register of brownfield sites throughout England and a key part of the National Brownfield Strategy – were commissioned by national regeneration agency English Partnerships and produced by a cross-disciplinary team of researchers at Kingston University. The recommendations from the research could see NLUD-PDL replaced with a system which would be even more accurate, more comprehensive and easier for Local Authorities to maintain, and come at a time when the need for accurate identification of brownfield land is more urgent than ever to meet ambitious Government housing targets. This includes accommodating 60% of all new homes on brownfield land by 2020.
Speaking at the AGI Conference in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Olga McFarland, Senior Researcher at English Partnerships, welcomed the recommendations to English Partnerships and Government, saying: 'This review is timely. Since NLUD-PDL was first implemented, technology and policy have moved on faster than anyone could have imagined. As national brownfield advisor for England, English Partnerships is committed to identifying and helping to unlock land for redevelopment and other uses - a key strand of the National Brownfield Strategy. As such, we welcome future improvement to and development of NLUD’s capabilities as part of our strategic toolkit, particularly as we move towards the new Homes and Communities Agency.'
The research looked at the need for brownfield data; possible improvements to NLUD; and the needs of a wider audience for information of this kind. Key recommendations from the researchers include:
- NLUD-PDL site records should be converted from points (single x, y coordinates) to polygons (site boundaries)
- Records to be made more compatible with existing Local Land and Property Gazetteers
- The database should be publicly accessible online and maintained in real time by online updates direct from local planning authorities
- Records on developed sites should remain on the database to inform future decisions on development and as part of a national archive
- Database structure should be more flexible to accommodate future changes in planning policy.
- Advise Ministers on the formulation of land use polices
- Ascertain trends in the recycling of land
- Help signify where barriers to redevelopment exist
- Monitor the effectiveness of Government policies relating to land use.
The recommendations will shortly be submitted and considered by Government for future implementation.
Background
The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land (NLUD PDL) database has been in place for almost ten years, and ultimately aims to “provide a consistent, comprehensive and up to date record of all Previously Developed Land and buildings in England that may be available for development, whether vacant, derelict, or still in productive use” (NLUD Partnership – English Partnerships and CLG).
In the early 1990s, the original objective of Government was a comprehensive database that recorded all land use in Great Britain. The database was to be known as NLUD Full or NLUD baseline but implementation was judged to be prohibitively expensive given the state of technology at the time. In order to enable government to monitor emerging policies relating to brownfield land, NLUD was adapted to record only Previously Developed Land and was not designed to link in any way to other local spatial planning data processes.
A survey of local planning authorities was conducted by English Partnerships in 2005, which highlighted both the limitations of the current (Microsoft Access) data entry management tool (DEMT) and the issues around this. In summary, it was found that a mix of external (e.g. government and/or software limitations) and internal LA pressures, coupled with its voluntary nature, often resulted in a low priority being given to NLUD-PDL returns. Nevertheless, the level of returns actually achieved has been consistently high (95% in 2007).
In late 2007, Kingston University was commissioned to carry out a scoping study to review the current NLUD-PDL system. The aims of the study were threefold; (1) to advise English Partnerships and Communities and Local Government (CLG) on ways to improve and further develop NLUD-PDL, (2) to evaluate the data collection process, and (3) to assess ways of simplifying or perhaps even automating the collection of data by embracing the raft of new technology now available to local planning authorities – including advancements in the field of GIS.
Recommendations for the first National Brownfield Strategy for England put forward by English Partnerships were formally accepted by Government at English Partnerships’ National Brownfield Conference in March 2008. A total of nine policy strands will be implemented across four parallel strands between now and 2013:
- Strand One – Policies to identify, assess and prepare brownfield land for re-use to ensure an adequate supply of land when it is needed
- Strand Two – Policies to safeguard the environment by ensuring the effective and efficient re-use of land
- Strand Three – Policies to enhance communities and contribute to sustainability by removing blight and ensuring the long-term management of restored land
- Strand Four – Policies to address a shortage of skills in dealing with brownfield land by meeting the need for appropriately qualified and experienced practitioners.
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