Using percentage targets for brownfield development may no longer be useful for informing planning for housing, according to research.

The study, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, found that the ease of reaching the previous government’s 60% target for new-build housing on brownfield land was the result of high-density residential development on certain types of brownfield land. The amount of brownfield land used for housing from 2000-2006 was only marginally higher than during the 1990s.

The uptake of brownfield land for housing development, which has been falling in most regions across England since autumn 2007, is likely to continue, warns the study. While brownfield policy has been successful in the past, it says future targets should adopt a more nuanced approach to reflect local circumstances.

It suggests brownfield development in areas where land is hard to develop because of contamination or low demand could be supported by government gap funding. Alternatively, in areas with no sustainable brownfield sites, more greenfield land could be released for housing development.

The research added that the very broad definition of brownfield land means a high proportion of its reuse encouraged high-density, compact urban development raising concerns about town-cramming and garden-grabbing, as well as creating the potential for new developments to be incompatible with the character of some mature neighbourhoods.