in plain sight. From long-abandoned brownfield sites to underused corners of the green belt now redesignated as greyfield, these areas have often been dismissed or overlooked. Yet they offer a chance to do things differently.

Rich in history, close to existing communities, and already touched by development, they are well placed to support a more thoughtful, sustainable and inclusive kind of growth. Recognising their value means rethinking not just where we build, but how and for whom.

The government’s recent push to loosen development rules on brownfield and newly designated greyfield land is intriguing, but it is not enough to just tally up 1.5 million new homes on paper. Real community building demands more: robust infrastructure, creative reuse of space, and a dash of genuine human scale.

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