Action Plan: Brownfield Land
The term ‘brownfield’ is applied to unused or vacant land which was previously occupied by human use, primarily by industry. Examples of industrial uses include:
- disused colliery sites
- spoil tips
- abandoned factories
- redundant dockland
- disused quarries
- industrial lagoons
- contaminated land
- former refuse tips
- restored open cast sites
- demolition sites
Many brownfield sites are of a temporary nature as they await redevelopment. If a brownfield site is left undisturbed for a long period of time natural colonisers of the plant and animal communities will develop through succession into habitats such as grassland, wetlands, scrub and woodland.
The biodiversity value of brownfield land is often underestimated. They are often described as being ‘unsightly’ and their ecological value misunderstood. Open ground is an important habitat for lichens, butterflies, moths, beetles and bees, and can act as an alternative for species that have declined due to the loss of native habitats in the wider countryside.
Local communities often use the sites for casual recreation
