Register of Brownfield Land

Cornwall Council must publish and maintain a register of brownfield land exceeding 0.25ha which is:

• suitable,
• available and
• achievable for residential-led development

Residential-led means mostly self-contained dwellings, which can include flats. The register must be updated at least annually.

The register is to be in two parts:

• Part 1 is to comprise sites which, are considered suitable, available and achievable.
• Part 2 will be a subset of Part 1 and will comprise those sites which Cornwall Council decides to grant permission in principle.

It is not appropriate to include sites on Part 1 where there isn't reasonable confidence that a site is suitable, available and achievable.

View Brownfield registers and permission in principle: frequently asked questions.

Register of Brownfield Land November  2023

The 2023 Brownfield Register for Cornwall is now available :

• Cornwall Council Brownfield Register (CSV file)
• Cornwall Council Brownfield Register on Data.gov.uk website (INSPIRE compliant polygon format) 

All sites are also shown on the the Council's Interactive Mapping site. Data is provided under the Open Government Licence.

For those sites without:

• residential consent,
• the granting of planning permission, or
• permission in principle

would be subject to further assessment and public consultation. The dwelling capacity shown in the register for these sites should be treated as a guide. Individual maps and site assessments for the sites without residential consent are below:

• BR1 Former Liskeard Enterprise Centre, Liskeard - site plan
• BR1 Former Liskeard Enterprise Centre, Liskeard - site assessment
• BR2 Land to Rear of Old County Hall, Truro - site plan
• BR2 Land to Rear of Old County Hall, Truro - site assessment
• BR4  Forge Industrial Park, Camborne - site plan
• BR4 Forge Industrial Park, Camborne - site assessment

The register focusses on sites with extant consent as of the previous 31 March each year. Minus those under construction, completed or unlikely to be developed and SHLAA sites. Sites not included in the register are not necessarily unsuitable for residential development.

Other data sources are likely to include further brownfield sites which are:

• suitable,
• available,
• and achievable

for residential development e.g. neighbourhood plans - these will be considered as resources allow.

How to submit or amend site details for the Register of Brownfield Land

We continually welcome information on sites - whether this relates to a site within the register or an additional site. These contributions will be considered at the next possible update of the register.

We are interested in hearing about sites in Cornwall that you would like us to consider which meet the following criteria:

• the land must meet the definition of brownfield land (see below);
• the land must be 0.25ha or more and have the potential for at least 10 dwellings;
• the land must be located within or adjacent to an existing settlement or in a sustainable location;
• the land must NOT be within a designated SAC, SPA, SSSI or Flood Zone 3b; and
• the land does not already have extant planning permission for residential-led development. Appropriate sites which already have planning permission will be included in the brownfield register by an internal process.

To submit a site for consideration or provide an update on an existing site you will need to complete the Call for Sites form (urbanintelligence.co.uk). 

NB: The brownfield register is a public document and site details are treated as public information.

What happens next

To be considered for Part 1 of the register, sites which meet the above criteria will be assessed using the methodology in terms of whether they are:

• suitable;
• available; and
• achievable.

The assessment will include internal consultation and consultation with local councils. More detailed assessment and public consultation will be required for inclusion in Part 2. Inclusion of sites within Part 1 does not constitute planning policy or infer that planning permission or permission in principle would be granted. The register must be reviewed at least annually.

Definition of brownfield land

‘Brownfield' (previously developed) land is defined in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2019) as:

"Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole of the curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure. This excludes:

• land that is or was last occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings;
• land that has been developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill, where provision for restoration has been made through development management procedures;
• land in built-up areas such as residential gardens, parks, recreation grounds and allotments; and
• land that was previously developed but where the remains of the permanent structure or fixed surface structure have blended into the landscape."