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Greenfield And Brownfield Sites

IB SL

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BrownfieldLand that has already

been built upon

Greenfield Or Brownfield Development?

GreenfieldLand that hasn’t been

built upon before

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4.4 million new dwellings are needed between 1991 and 2016.

Why do you think so many new houses are needed?

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Why Is There A Need For More Housing In The UK?

70 % of new homes are wanted by single people

The population of the UK will keep rising until 2036

580000

600000

620000

640000

660000

680000

700000

720000

740000

1997

babies born

people diedUK

Are there any alternatives to building more houses?

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Prescott acts to stop greenbelt building

‘Housing developers are to be told that they can no longer build upon greenfield sites if alternative brownfield sites are available…Mr Prescott has also asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to impose VAT on all new house building. At the moment, no VAT is levied on new building, although the full 17.5% rate is applied to the refurbishment of old properties…..Local authorities rather than developers, will be able to determine which land is built upon, and a national land use database will identify suitable brownfield areas. Councils will also be told to convert derelict industrial land to housing use.’

March 2000How is Mr Prescott (the former Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions) encouraging Brownfield development?

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Summarise the advantages and disadvantages of developing new homes on greenfield sites compared to using brownfield sites.Consider the following issues:

the cost of building new homes?

the need for new roads?

impact on the drainage basin cycle and flooding?

impact on congestion?

the impact on derelict land in the inner city?

(there is over 300 square km² of derelict

land in England)

impact on the countryside?

increase urban sprawl?

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Designated major housing developments in Cambridgeshire

1 2

3

4

6

5

7

8

Cambourne

Greenbelt

Cambridge

2 Proposed housing developments

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Cambourne is a private development of three villages, Great Cambourne, Little Cambourne and Upper Cambourne, nine miles west of Cambridge. It is being developed by three private companies – Bovis, Bryant Homes and Alfred McAlpine and was started in 1994. The housing in Great Cambourne is now complete and the developers are now concentrating on building in Lower Cambourne. Eventually the development will comprise over 3000 houses.

Cambourne – Greenfield development

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Cambourne

Cambourne is built on a greenfield site (land that hasn’t previously been built upon).

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Cambourne is more than just housing. The development includes a primary school, a business park, Ecumenical Church Centre, planned wooded areas, cycle lanes and ecological areas.

Cambourne

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Great Cambourne has been built but the villages of Little and Upper Cambourne are incomplete.

Why do you think that the shops have yet to move into the area? (hint - think about threshold population)

Cambourne

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Great Cambourne

Describe the type of housing found in Great Cambourne.

Cambourne

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Activity 1

It is proposed that 1000 new homes are to be built in, or around your local town/city...

1. Describe why developers would prefer to build most, or all, of the new houses on Greenfield Sites.

2. Suggest some problems and conflicts that might result from the increased use of rural areas for leisure and recreation.

3. Describe why conservation groups and people living in nearby villages want the new houses to be built on Brownfield Sites.