In 2000 the Secretary of State for the Environment issued the latest version of Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3), which provides advice on the role of the planning system in relation to housing policy. The publication provoked significant media coverage, particularly about the emphasis on brownfield rather than greenfield development. Three years on, it is now possible to review its impact on development and look at other more recent government initiatives that are driving forward a more sophisticated approach to urban renaissance.
One of PPG3′s key objectives was “to promote more sustainable patterns of development and make better use of previously developed land”. Another element of the guidance note was that any renewal of expired planning permissions must not be automatic but must take into account the “sequential test” – the presumption that brownfield sites should be developed before greenfield. The target was that by 2008 a total of 60% of new homes should be constructed on previously developed land.
