The true cost of brownfield land: Rethinking investment approaches

Abstract

This paper calls for a renewed approach to investment decision making for brownfield land. Conventional tools for investment decision making in relation to brownfield land reclamation fail to account for the social costs of its continued neglect. This paper highlights some of these costs via a review of international research, and reflects on the meaning of these findings for current planning practice in the UK. This short research report highlights the unacceptable consequences of leaving brownfield land in an ongoing state of dereliction, consequences that result in substantial costs for central and local government and for society as a whole. Further, it draws attention to the significant inequalities in health and well-being arising from the continued neglect of these sites, making suggestions for alternative approaches to non-intervention where sites are not suitable or appropriate for redevelopment.