A new national strategy designed to increase the number of regeneration professionals and improve brownfield skills levels in support of government aspirations to build 3 million new homes, has been launched for public consultation by English Partnerships and ASC.

The national Brownfield Skills Strategy calls for cross-sector support and action to address a significant projected shortfall of housing and regeneration practitioners with the necessary skills to redevelop brownfield sites, on which at least 60% of the new homes will be built.

Research to inform the draft strategy – the most comprehensive of its kind to date – identified that by 2012 there could be a minimum workforce shortfall of 75%, or 680,000 workers, including 300,000 engineers and developers and 140,000 surveyors.

Speaking at English Partnerships’ annual Brownfield Conference, Professor Paul Syms, the Agency’s National Brownfield Advisor, said:

“Ensuring that there are enough professionals at all stages of the regeneration process, and that they have the necessary skills, is absolutely fundamental to the re-use of brownfield land for sustainable housing growth and other development.

“These numbers are significant, and if we are to maintain our current success in reusing brownfield sites, then addressing the brownfield skills gap is of paramount importance. It is a cornerstone of our recommendations to Government for a first-ever National Brownfield Strategy."

Trudy Birtwell, Director of Learning and Skills at ASC, said:

“The brownfield labour shortfall is an extreme example of the shortages that the sustainable communities sector faces. It’s imperative that we work together to secure, retain and develop a highly skilled workforce to unlock the potential of brownfield land, deliver new homes and create places that are carbon efficient, socially cohesive and well connected. That’s why we hope as many people as possible review the strategy and contribute to the final consultation.”   

In recent years, the government target for the reuse of brownfield land has been exceeded, with around 70% of all new homes built in England in 2007 being on sites such as the English Partnerships schemes at Victoria Dock in Middlesbrough and Heart of East Greenwich in London. Where brownfield sites are not suitable for housing, the land has been redeveloped for commercial use, or landscaped to create habitats for wildlife and open public space.  

However, if this success in returning ugly or derelict land back to beneficial use on behalf of communities is to be maintained, then recent government skills initiatives need to be built upon to significantly reduce the labour shortfall.  

The strategy outlines a twin approach to the action needed:

• Increasing the number of housing and regeneration practitioners involved in the reuse of brownfield land and simultaneously reducing the cross-sector competition for those workers, through new and innovative entry routes and greater use of ‘business facing’ universities and co-funded student places.
• Increasing the knowledge and skills of the existing and future workforce through shared learning and, for example, a Skills Development Framework to tackle changing skills needs.

However, it warns that making a significant impact on the shortfall will rely heavily upon full support and action from employers across the housing, regeneration, education and public sectors, and the strategy will need to be an integral part of wider government action to ensure the UK’s skills base keeps pace with international competition.

The national Brownfield Skills Strategy is open for public consultation until May 27th and  follows English Partnerships’ submission of policy recommendations to Government, designed to bring thousands of hectares of blighted land back into beneficial use, for and on behalf of local communities.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Iain Wright, MP, will formally present the Government’s response to English Partnerships’ Brownfield Strategy recommendations.

Further information:

1. The Brownfield Skills Strategy is open for public consultation until May 27th 2008 and the results will be published in Autumn 2008. Visit our Brownfield Skills section for more details on the skills strategy.

2. The launch of the strategy follows recommendations published by English Partnerships for a National Brownfield Strategy for England to support the Department for Communities and Local Government. These recommendations were the result of three years of extensive research and consultation surrounding the barriers that prevent or hinder the reuse of brownfield land. Throughout this background work one key issue was repeatedly identified – the lack of people with ‘brownfield’ skills.

3. The professions and totals identified within the skills shortfall are as follows:

• Transport planners – 4,000
• Sustainable development specialists – 9,000
• Neighbourhood and community development specialists – 11,000
• Planners – 16,000
• Regeneration and economic development specialists – 34,000
• Landscape architects, urban designers and architects – 47,000
• Housing and welfare officers – 121,000
• Surveyors – 142,000
• Developers – 150,000
• Engineers – 153,000 

4. According to 2006 NLUD figures, there are 52,670ha of under-used vacant or derelict land across England. The National Brownfield Strategy recognises that many brownfield sites are difficult to deal with, and that not all are suitable for housing or commercial development, using a ‘develop or re-use first’ principle to ensure that land nevertheless has a designated use beneficial to the community.  A total of nine policy recommendations would be implemented across four parallel strands between now and 2013:

• Strand One – Policies to identify, assess and prepare brownfield land for re-use to ensure an adequate supply of land when it is needed;
• Strand Two – Policies to safeguard the environment by ensuring the effective and efficient re-use of land;
• Strand Three – Policies to enhance communities and contribute to sustainability by removing blight and ensuring the long-term management of restored land; and
• Strand Four – Policies to address a shortage of skills in dealing with brownfield land by meeting the need for appropriately qualified and experienced practitioners.

For more information please visit the browfield land section of the archived English Partnerships website.