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In terms of ownership, private owners own 55% of the brownfield sites
in the UK, whereas public sector bodies, including central government but
excluding local authorities, own 14% and local authorities own 10% (Figure 27).
In other words, brownfield sites in the UK are mostly vacant and much less
concentrated in private ownership. Both of these characteristics could possibly
lead to an easier process of brownfield development, which are both sorely
missing in the case for Hong Kong.

Figure 27. Ownership of brownfield in the United Kingdom

21%
21%

55%
10%
55% 10%

14%
14%
Private
Unknown
Other Public
Local Authority

Source: UK National Land Use Database 2010.

Furthermore, while UK has committed in 1998 to the “Brownfield First”
Principle, setting a national target of building 60% of new housing on brownfield
sites, this policy has apparently lent little help to alleviating the chronic problem
of housing shortage in the UK. In May 2014, independent urban planning con-
sultancy Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) published a research note on the
housing capacity of brownfield sites in the UK.

NLP estimated in the study that, while the UK would need up to
3.3 million new homes from 2015 to 2030 (15 years), total housing capacity of
brownfield sites is only 1 million. In other words, if only brownfield sites are used
for housing purpose, the country would see, on top of the shortage that it is
already faced with, an additional shortfall of 2.3 million homes in the next 15
years (Figure 28).

Figure 28. Total housing capacity in the United Kingdom

Total housing
capacity of
brownfield
sites
(1 million) 30%
Shortfall if only
brownfield sites
are used
(2.3 million)
70%

UK - Total housing capacity required up to 2030 : 3.3 million homes
Source: 'Brownfield Land Solution?', Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (May 2014).
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