I think this story has been in the papers for a while to be honest. Anyway here are some interesting facts -
"The media watchdog group FullFact.org critically examined claims by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, CPRE, which are that brownfield land in England was sufficient for the construction of 1.5 million new residences.
A closer look at the available land found something much less, says FullFact.org. Overall, there are 61,920 hectares of brownfield land in the UK, as compared to 1.6 million hectares of green belt property. A little more than half – 54 percent – of the brownfield sites are vacant or hold derelict buildings. Only the remaining 46 percent, approximately 30,000 hectares, of brownfields are truly available for repurposing and building without displacing a current occupant. This does not distinguish the portion of those brownfields that are truly appropriate and feasible for housing: many are contaminated with industrial waste, while others are situated in industrial corridors, where it would be difficult to attract residents to live."
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