Brownfield Land Register

What is a Brownfield Land Register?

The Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017 require local planning authorities to prepare, maintain and publish registers of previously developed (brownfield) 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 can consist of two parts:

• Part 1 is a list of all sites considered to be appropriate for residential development;
• Part 2 is made up of sites which have been taken forward from Part 1 of the register and given planning permission in principle.

In order for sites to be included in Part 1 of the register, entries must meet the following criteria:

• the site must be classified as previously developed land, as defined by the glossary to the National Planning Policy Framework;
• the site should be at least 0.25 hectares in size or capable of supporting at least 5 dwellings;
• the land is suitable for residential development;
• the land is available for residential development; and
• residential development of the land is achievable within 15 years.

Detailed guidance on brownfield land registers is included in the National Planning Practice Guidance and the format of the register is prescribed in the Brownfield Land Registers Data Standard published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Viewing the Brownfield land register

The register contains:

• Brownfield sites with existing planning permission or a resolution to grant planning permission as at 31 March 2023;
• Brownfield sites allocated for residential development in the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy;
• Sites subject to Local Development Orders; and
• Sites submitted to the council for inclusion within the register and assessed as being suitable, achievable and available for residential led development in accordance with the council’s brownfield land register methodology (PDF, 261KB).

Brownfield Land Register 

• Cheshire East part 1 brownfield land register (MS Excel, 89KB)
• Brownfield register site plans (PDF, 6.5MB)

What happens next?

The council is required to review and update the brownfield land register on an annual basis. The production of the next update will commence following the publication of the council's annual housing land monitoring report, which will be to a base date of the 31 March 2024.

We welcome the submission of sites to be considered for inclusion within the Brownfield Land Register.

If you wish to submit a site for consideration, please request a site submission form from the Strategic Planning Team at planningpolicy@cheshireeast.gov.uk. The form must be returned with a suitable location map showing the boundaries of the site. The team can also answer any general questions regarding the register. 

Sites will be reviewed against the criteria in the relevant regulations and the council’s site assessment methodology.

Page last reviewed: 22 January 2024