Brownfield Development Values
The second paper in a series of Homes England research reports on measuring social value.
Applies to England
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As part of Homes England’s mission to drive regeneration and housing delivery, the Agency has been undertaking a comprehensive programme of research aimed at strengthening the approach to economic appraisal and the measurement of social value. This has been carried out in close collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), with the research aligned to the department’s appraisal guide and the HM Treasury Green Book.
The second paper to be published as part of this research programme focuses on measuring the social value associated with developing on brownfield land. The study looks specifically at the benefit to local households of the removal of disamenity caused by undeveloped brownfield land and the amenity value created by the inclusion of specific features, such as facilities for local communities and space for nature.
The paper sets out the research approach and key findings, along with guidance on how to apply the research in practice. In addition, an Excel tool and guidance has been produced for use by appraisal practitioners.
The findings of the research should only be used for projects where development is taking place on a brownfield site. Further detail on what constitutes a brownfield site for the purposes of this study can be found in Appendix 3 of main paper.
When applying the research, care should also be taken to avoid double counting, particularly where separate estimates have been made of amenity or wider placemaking benefits. In relation to Paper 1: Measuring the placemaking impacts of housing-led regeneration, where a project both involves the redevelopment of a brownfield site and has clear placemaking and regeneration objectives, it is recommended that only placemaking values are included in the central estimate of benefits (with brownfield development values included as part of sensitivity analysis).