Brownfield land register
The council is legally required to prepare, maintain and publish a register of brownfield (previously developed) land. Brownfield land registers are intended to provide up-to-date and consistent information on sites that local authorities consider to be appropriate for residential development. The register should be publicly available, to help provide certainty for developers and communities and encourage investment in local areas. The registers will then be used to monitor the Government's commitment to the delivery of brownfield sites.
What is brownfield land?
'Brownfield' (previously developed) land is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (NPPF) as:
"Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole of the curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure. This excludes: land that is or was last occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings; land that has been developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill, where provision for restoration has been made through development management procedures; land in built-up areas such as residential gardens, parks, recreation grounds and allotments; and land that was previously developed but where the remains of the permanent structure or fixed surface structure have blended into the landscape."
The Brownfield Register
Our brownfield land register aims to provide publicly available information on all known brownfield sites considered appropriate for residential development. It will contain data and maps of sites identified from site submissions and collated from existing data sources of Chichester District's Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA), existing planning permissions and pending planning decisions.
This register will be updated as new site information comes forward, and to remove sites where development has taken place.
The Brownfield land register is in 2 parts:
- Part 1 is a list of all brownfield sites that have been considered appropriate for residential development;
- Part 2 is made up on sites which have been taken forward from Part 1 of the register and given Permission in Principle (PiP).
The council is required to publish Part 1 of its register by 31 December annually.
Brownfield Register 2024 (Excel doc, 16 KB)
The council have also produced a summary of the Brownfield Land register which sets out the information contained in the register, plus details of the methodology and site assessment process in a more accessible format.
Brownfield Register 2024 - Accessible Summary (Word doc, 70 KB)
Annex 4 - Site Maps 2024 (PDF, 5 MB)
Part 1: Criteria for inclusion
In order for sites to be included in Part 1 of the register they must be considered appropriate for residential development, and are required to meet the following criteria:
- The site must meet the definition of 'previously developed land' as set out in Annex 2 of the NPPF;
- The site must be at least 0.25 hectares in size, or capable of supporting at least 5 dwellings;
- The site must be 'suitable' for residential development - the land has extant planning permission for housing or housing-led development; has been allocated for development in the Local Plan, Site Allocation DPD or a Neighbourhood Plan; or is considered appropriate under Local Plan policy;
- The site must be 'available' for residential development - there is no impediment to development in terms of either ownership issues or legal constraints on the land; and
- Development of the land must be considered 'achievable' - the land will be developed within 15 years.
Part 2: Permission in principle
Where a site is granted permission in principle, it must then be followed by an application for technical detail consent to agree the details of the scheme before obtaining full planning permission.
Call for sites
The council undertook a call for sites for the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment in 2020. Any brownfield sites that were submitted to us at that time have been assessed for inclusion on Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register.
However, if you have a brownfield site that may be of interest to us outside of the call for sites, please complete the site submission form, and provide us with a location plan with the boundary of your site edged in red.
Brownfield Land Register site submission
Previous versions of the Brownfield land register
Brownfield Land Register accessible summary 2023 (Word doc, 67 KB)
Brownfield Land Register 2023 (Excel doc, 14 KB)
Brownfield Land Register - accessible summary 2022 (PDF, 252 KB)
Brownfield Land Register 2022 (Excel doc, 40 KB)
Brownfield Land Register accessible summary 2021 (PDF, 4 MB)
Brownfield Land Register 2021 (Excel doc, 14 KB)
Brownfield Land Register - Accessible Summary 2020 (PDF, 6 MB)
Brownfield Land Register 2020 (Excel doc, 14 KB)
Further information
Further information regarding the preparation of the brownfield land register was published as part of the National Planning Practice Guidance in July 2017. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also created a data standard setting out the requirements for the format of the register.
National Planning Policy Framework - Brownfield Register (opens new window)
National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (opens new window)
Contact us
For further information and advice email planningpolicy@chichester.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can phone us on 01243 785166.