Brownfield Land

The Church Street/Portland Street site. 2017

The council has opened a consultation on its Brownfield Site Register. They are inviting developers, landowners, agents and the general public to submit brownfield sites which they wish the council to consider for inclusion on the Register. For inclusion on the final Register sites must meet the following criteria:

• 0.25 hectares or more in size or capable of accommodating at least 5 dwellings;
• Suitable for residential development: this means the land has planning permission for housing or housing-led development; or has been allocated for such development in a Local Plan; or is considered appropriate for such development by the council;
• Available for residential development: this means that there is no impediment to development in terms of either ownership issues or legal constraints on the land;
• Residential development of the land is achievable: the land is likely to be developed within 15 years of being entered on the register.

One would think that the first priority should be getting the existing  sites developed before adding to them. The Church Street/ Portland Street corner has lain derelict for at least 10 years. An application for mixed use development submitted in 2011 is still under consideration. The council can't force an owner to develop a site but there is such a thing as compulsory purchase still on the statute book. Even the threat of it might work wonders.