UK Petition - Reclassify general aviation airfields as greenfield not brownfield sites

What does that mean? Green vs brown grass ?

I can’t find a legal definition, but my understanding of brownfield is land that has previously been developed (i.e. has buildings), but greenfield has not. I can’t see any difference between an airfield and a small farm, considering usage, type and number of buildings, or pollution/contamination. It’s loaded or emotive language: greenfield conjures images of virgin forest or pristine meadows, whilst brownfield paints a picture of a deprived and toxic industrial wasteland.

Of course, it would instantly devalue all airfields. They might be being run at cost on the understanding that the owners will make money when selling out to the property developers.

House building in the UK is regulated by ‘planning permission’, which in my opinion is an unacknowledged social problem. Gaining approval to build a house as an individual is near impossible. It’s done either by medium-sized local builders who play the system, usually buying plots where planning permission has failed; or big corporations who buy vast tracts of land, only to ration supply to keep prices artificially high.

Edit: I’m signature 843

The reality, which nobody will talk about openly, is that most of the airfield owners want to preserve the development value of their land, even though this exposes it to the property sharks. So pressure is being applied on the govt, under the table, to not do this.

Of course, it would instantly devalue all airfields. They might be being run at cost on the understanding that the owners will make money when selling out to the property developers.

Precisely.

@LeSving essentially what’s called ‘brownfield’ can (relatively) easily be developed into housing, whereas ‘greenfield’ cannot. IOW, classifying airfields as ‘greenfield’ gives them some protection from being turned into a housing estate.