LGA CONFERENCE 2025: New Belt: brownfield regeneration as a spur to affordable housing

Our final event at the LGA Conference 2025 is a breakfast panel debate about brownfield regeneration in the context of legislation and government policy on urban extensions, proposals for New Towns and the strictures of statutory local growth plans. The event sponsored by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be held at the Leonardo Hotel Liverpool from 08:30 until 09:30 on Thursday 3rd July 2025. 

The Planning and Infrastructure legislation prioritises development on brownfield sites, with the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) emphasising “brownfield first” approaches. This means local planning authorities will be encouraged to prioritise development on previously developed, brownfield sites, including “grey belt” land, before considering green belt land. The Act also aims to streamline the planning process for brownfield developments, potentially through measures like Brownfield Passport. At the same time the issue around affordability should and is a key priority for all.   The panel will consider the challenges around affordability, what is the right tenure mix and how do we enable people to get on the housing ladder. In our panel session at the LGA Conference 2025 in Liverpool, we will ask how to drive common purpose among authorities and developers alike, as well as exploring appropriate and innovative partnership models for such investment. This debate will be framed in the context of legislation and government policy on urban extensions, proposals for New Towns and the strictures of statutory local growth plans.

Key issues around brownfield regeneration we will wish to deliberate on will include:

• urban extensions
• new towns
• local growth plans