Department for Communities and Local Government

Brownfield land registers data standard

Briefly describe the initiative/ project/ service

Local authorities in England are required to publish registers of brownfield land suitable for housing. DCLG, with iStandUK, have developed a data standard to support local authorities in preparing and publishing their registers in an open, national format.

Why do you think it should win this award?

The brownfield land registers data standard will ensure that information about brownfield land suitable for housing is published in a nationally consistent format, kept up-to-date and publically available for developers and communities. Increasing the amount of planning data will not only make planning more accessible, but also allow public data to be used in a way that increases accountability, drives choice, and spurs innovation. The data standard has been designed to ensure that brownfield land registers are accessible for those entering data and navigating the information they contain. The information will also be capable of digital analysis which can be used to gain a more comprehensive understanding about the location and capacity of brownfield land suitable for housing development.

What are the key achievements?

The data standard was informed by a pilot project, involving a group of local authorities (73), which ran in 2016. This year DCLG held a series of workshops over the summer and autumn, hosted by iNetwork, to engage with, and consult with local authorities up and down the country and provide technical support for those currently preparing their brownfield field registers. The data standard utilises existing good practice for designing open data, including using data structures recommended by the Local Government Association, the Cabinet Office Open Standards Board, and the Open Data Institute.