The reuse of brownfield land for housing and mixed-use development has been a key tenet of planning policy for around 25 years. The premise is that redeveloping brownfield sites can tackle health and economic inequalities in our towns and cities at the same time as delivering new houses and other uses for people. This paper presents the findings from an analysis of secondary data to explore the social, economic and environmental impacts of brownfield sites and their redevelopment in England over the last twenty years. Using data related to the presence of brownfield land at the neighbourhood level and a suite of socioeconomic outcomes we found the strongest evidence for the impact of brownfield redevelopment comes from neighbourhood improvement, related to perceptions of safety, social cohesion, and increased health and life satisfaction. These are likely to provide indirect economic benefits, thereby making the case for Government investment in these neighbourhoods. Using the expected life satisfaction gain that would be associated with the removal of one unit of brownfield (exposure), we calculated the corresponding loss in income that would exactly offset the life satisfaction gain. The evidence for direct individual economic impacts in terms of residents’ economic participation is weaker, although an analysis of productivity found that there may be neighbourhood-level economic benefits in urban areas and perhaps suggests that mixed-use developments in urban areas may be more beneficial than solely residential developments.

This review provides an outline of current knowledge and experience regarding suburban renewal driven by the adaptive reuse of underutilised areas, and introduces the topic of greyfield-led regeneration.

‘Greyfields’ refers to underused or declining suburban sites such as retail centres, business parks, and large surface parking lots. Internationally—particularly in the US, Australia, and Canada—these sites are recognised as prime opportunities to counter urban sprawl. Due to their central locations, low plot ratios, strong transport connections, and proximity to social infrastructure, greyfields offer significant potential to be transformed into medium-density, mixed-use centres of neighbouring communities. The need for suburban regeneration is driven by rapid urbanisation, demographical changes, shifting working and shopping patterns, and climate change, making sustainable growth and affordable housing critically important.

Structurally, the first part of the review outlines the transformation of urban planning frameworks in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for suburban regeneration through urban initiatives such as New Urbanism, the Compact City, and the 15-minute City. The second part examines the implementation of those concepts in international literature and practice, focusing on countries with sprawl challenges similar to those in Ireland. Finally, the Irish approach to suburban regeneration will be presented, addressing urban sprawl amid the current housing and affordability crisis. While Irish planning discourse strongly advocates for compact growth and land activation, policy and practice focus almost exclusively on large brownfields and pocketed greenfield developments. In Ireland, greyfields remain mostly unrecognised as a problem and as an opportunity.

Low‑income residents in Cornwall face intensifying barriers to accessing quality housing, particularly affordable low‑carbon homes, as property prices continue to rise due to second‑home ownership, tourism pressures, and the rapid growth of short‑term rentals such as Airbnb. These dynamics, compounded by counter‑urbanisation and restrictive planning frameworks, have deepened rural housing poverty and entrenched deprivation. Addressing the limited availability of feasible solutions, this study develops an Innovative Planning‑Led Sustainability Model designed to incentivise housing developers to deliver more affordable low‑carbon homes in rural contexts.

Funded by the Cal Henderson Foundation, the project draws on interdisciplinary expertise to integrate emerging technologies and sustainable design practices, offering a replicable approach to future housing development. The model also examines how local planning authorities can leverage planning conditions to require the incorporation of environmentally sustainable materials and design principles as part of the development approval process. By doing so, it provides a practical tool for mitigating the pressures of Cornwall’s overheated housing market, particularly the influx of second‑home buyers, while supporting local progress toward net‑zero policy targets.

The model was developed through a two‑stage research design. The first stage involved extensive secondary analysis of academic literature, government policy, and industry reports to construct an initial conceptual framework. The second stage refined this framework through two focus‑group workshops employing thematic brainstorming and grounded theory. Insights generated from these workshops were synthesised and integrated into the final model, offering a novel planning‑led approach to delivering affordable low‑carbon housing in rural England.