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National Land Use Database

The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land and Buildings (NLUD-PDL) provides an inventory of the national stock of vacant and/or derelict land and buildings and; land and building in use either with planning consent/allocated or potential for redevelopment. It is the only countrywide source of information brownfield land.

The NLUD is compiled annually, using five categories of previously developed land (PDL):

• A – Vacant land
• B – Vacant buildings
• C – Derelict land and buildings
• D – Land and buildings in use and allocated in local plan or with planning permission
• E - Land and buildings currently in use with redevelopment potential

Categories A-C are collectively referred to as derelict and vacant land and buildings, whilst categories D and E comprise ‘in use’ or latent brownfield land.

Individual site information and statistical analysis, based on the grossed returns can be found on the National Land Use Database website. Individual site information on land ‘in use’ with development potential is not published as this information is either subjective or maybe commercially or politically sensitive.

Between 2002 and 2006 the national stock of derelict and vacant land has been reducing year on year.  Over the same period the stock of latent brownfield land has been increasing, producing almost a mirror image of the change in the derelict and vacant stock.

The distribution of Brownfield land

The greatest concentrations of derelict and vacant land and buildings are in the former industrial cities and towns of the Midlands and northern regions of England.

Government policies aimed at reducing the stock of previously developed land are taking effect, with year on year reductions in derelict and vacant land being recorded since 2002. See graph below.

 

Derelict and/or vacant land and buildings

Hectares

 

The stock of land that is ‘in use’, or latent brownfield, is increasing. See graph below.

 

 Latent brownfield land – with planning permission
or identified for redevelopment

Hectares

Many of the sites in these categories have been on the NLUD-PDL database since 1998, which may be indicative of blockages in the market.

 

In 2006, the NLUD - PDL survey disclosed a total of 26,100 sites, containing 52,670 ha of land.  This data was based on returns from 95 per cent of local planning authorities in England, which showed significant differences in the incidence of PDL, across all land types throughout the nine Government Office Regions. See table below.  

Distribution of previously developed land by type and Government Office Region (area figures are in hectare)

Region	Vacant land	Derelict buildings	Derelict land	'in use' land with planning/ allocation	‘in use’ with potential	Grand Total
East Midlands	1008.10	362.34	1702.68	1278.04	908.11	5259.26
East of England	1102.61	272.30	1387.56	1495.46	1312.04	5569.97
London	395.12	134.27	189.45	1882.53	372.82	2974.20
North East	1317.95	180.20	981.76	710.40	453.71	3644.02
North West	2305.23	477.73	4357.51	1690.71	817.90	9649.08
South East	1386.15	371.65	1019.31	4601.13	1185.96	8564.19
South West	830.07	213.17	1386.70	1649.13	1190.42	5269.49
West Midlands	1124.85	238.55	1816.12	1598.43	422.47	5200.42
Yorkshire & Humber	2129.06	506.52	2164.74	1188.98	549.92	6539.22
Grand Total	11599.14	2756.74	15005.82	16094.81	7213.34	52669.85

 
 
Around 51 per cent of previously developed land in the 2006 survey was located in urban areas, as defined by the Department for Communities and Local Government, down from 60 per cent in 2004.  As the overall stock also reduced over the same period the results suggest that brownfield land reuse policies are working, concentrating new development in urban areas. 

There is clear evidence that the most deprived areas of the country are still blighted by high concentrations of unused, or under-used land, with over 9 per cent of sites being concentrated in the 3 per cent most deprived areas of the country. See graph below.

 

Distribution of PDL sites by number and Super Output Area (SOA's in 1,000s with 1 being the most deprived and 33 the least deprived).

Number of sites

Many of the sites in the most deprived SOA’s are of relatively small size, often less than one quarter of a hectare, and may be affected by severe physical problems, as well as by market failure.

English Partnerships publishes summary reports based on the ‘as recorded’ returns received from the local authorities. 

Those available, using 2006 data are:

• Distribution of Previously Developed Land – by dereliction/vacancy or ‘in use’ status
• Land considered suitable for housing – by dereliction/vacancy or ‘in use’ status
• The proposed use of land and buildings – planning status of PDL, in hectares
• Time on database – dates when sites first recorded on the database, in hectares

All of the summary reports show the data by Government Office region, sub-divided into counties.

The summary reports can be downloaded from the Publications page.