The use of brownfield sites for development, including the construction of new homes, has been identified as "crucial" by a regeneration agency.

A plan by National brownfield advisor Professor Paul Syms states: "The National Brownfield Strategy will encourage widespread engagement in the process of returning brownfield land to beneficial use" and stated that use of brownfield sites is "crucial" to development.

Professor Syms noted that 12 to 15 years ago, there was considerable reluctance on the part of developers to reuse land. He added that over the last decade the trend of reusing land has become more prevalent, attributing this shift in part to market conditions.

The UK land directory identifies brownfield sites as land which has previously been developed on and had noted that there are thousands of such sites across Scotland, England and the rest of the UK.

The National Brownfield Strategy is being developed by Communities and Local Government and a number of regeneration agencies.