More brownfield land in East Devon than previously counted > CPRE says 1000 new homes could be built

The District Council is giving us a new affordable housing strategy- and has just put it out to consultation:
Affordable Housing - East Devon

However, rather than more new-build on green-field sites, most of which will never be 'affordable', how about building on 'grey land'?
One million new homes on derelict land could transform towns and cities - Campaign to Protect Rural England

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has been pointing out for some time that there's lots of land out there which could be built on:
Futures Forum: State of the Green Belt report >building on the Green Belt is not solving the affordable housing crisis

With analysis carried out some five years ago:
Futures Forum: The pressures to build on green fields: in the Southwest - "The lack of a local plan for meeting housing targets does not necessarily undermine the protection that our countryside merits."

CPRE have now analysed the District Council's housing plans, as reported in the Herald: 

Almost 1,000 homes could be built on brownfield land in East Devon

PUBLISHED: 17:00 28 March 2019

Harriet Clugston

Almost 1,000 new homes could be built on derelict or previously used land in East Devon, according to greenbelt campaigners

The Campaign to Protect Rural England says there is enough vacant brownfield sites in towns and cities across England and Wales to build more than one million new homes – two thirds of which could be delivered within five years. It has called on the Government to force councils to prioritise brownfield development instead of building homes on green spaces.

In East Devon, the CPRE says there is capacity to build 985 homes across 27 sites. Of these, 863 homes could be delivered within five years.

Rebecca Pullinger, planning campaigner at the CPRE, said: “Building on brownfield land presents a fantastic opportunity to simultaneously remove local eyesores and breathe new life into areas crying out for regeneration. It will help to limit the amount of countryside lost to development, and build more homes in areas where people want to live, with infrastructure, amenities and services already in place.”

The CPRE analysed East Devon District Council’s Brownfield Land Register, which lists sites that the council says are suitable for development. A brownfield site is defined as land that ‘is or was occupied by a permanent structure’.

However, the CPRE says that confusion over the definition could mean councils are leaving potential sites off their registers. This could include land that is already in use, but could be altered to make space for housing, such as car parks.

The brownfield sites now on the register in East Devon cover a combined area of 67 acres. This would give an average housing density of 15 homes per acre – below the national average of 17.

The Local Government Association said councils had already given hundreds of thousands of homes planning permission which have yet to be built. It called for better resourcing for council planning departments, to ensure developers build homes as quickly as possible.

The Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse, said: “This Government is committed to building the homes our country needs while still leaving the environment in a better state than we found it. We’re encouraging planners to prioritise building on brownfield land and working with local authorities to ensure sensible decisions are made on where homes get built.”

Almost 1,000 homes could be built on brownfield land in East Devon | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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