§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's definition of brown-field sites. [63615]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThere is no specific definition of "brownfield" land. However, it is usually taken to mean land previously developed for 'urban' uses. For statistical purposes, as defined by the Department's Land Use Change Statistics, 'previously-developed urban' uses include residential, transport and utilities, industry and commerce, community services, previously-developed vacant land and derelict land. Land is classified according to its use and not its location, therefore the 'urban' use can occur in rural areas.
Information on land that may be available for redevelopment is currently being collected in order to compile the first phase of the National Land Use Database. The scope of this is wider than the definition of previously-developed land used in Land Use Change Statistics.