The building types, land and structures the desk finds, what each one is, why it matters, and where the data comes from. The drawings are illustrations, not real sites. Sign in to see the sites themselves.
Each finder has its own map and list. Pick one at the top of the desk.
Agricultural buildings: steel-frame sheds, brick barns and farm outbuildings.
Scored for Class Q, the permitted-development route that can turn a farm building into homes.
SourceOpenStreetMap, OS OpenMap Local, planning.data.gov.uk, EA flood data
Garden, infill and backland land with room for one new home or a small scheme.
Each plot gets Pass, Weak or Drop, then the same owner letter, checklist and concept workflow.
SourceHM Land Registry INSPIRE parcels, OpenStreetMap, planning.data.gov.uk
Industrial estates, units and land, screened for suitability.
Finds sites for refurbishment, new units or redevelopment.
SourceCouncil local plan allocations, OpenStreetMap industrial land and buildings, brownfield land registers
Land the planning system already points at.
Land a council's local plan sets aside for business and industrial use.
Allocated land has planning policy support behind it.
SourceCouncil development plan documents
Previously developed land on each council's brownfield register.
Brownfield first: councils favour reusing this land for new homes and jobs.
SourceBrownfield land registers on planning.data.gov.uk
Sites where a planning permission was granted but has run out.
The principle was accepted once, so a fresh application can be a shorter conversation.
SourceCouncil planning records via PlanIt
Ticks on the roof, not building types, so one shed can be both.
Big, modern roofs scored for panels by size, pitch, orientation and shade.
Rooftop solar under Class J, often paired with re-roofing.
SourceOpenStreetMap and OS OpenMap Local footprints
Roofs that may be asbestos-cement sheet, judged from roof colour and texture.
Always 'possible, survey needed'. Leads to a roof check and removal or re-clad options.
SourceSatellite imagery, read by the desk's own model
Building types tagged from open map data and a rule per type.
Glasshouses and horticultural glass.
Large, often redundant structures on usable land.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Plastic-covered hoop tunnels used for growing.
Shows horticultural use and land that is already disturbed.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Long, low livestock sheds with roof vents.
Big footprints for Class Q, solar roofs or reuse.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Portal-frame sheds, grain stores and silos.
Classic Class Q and rooftop-solar candidates.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Stable blocks, yards and riding arenas.
Often brick or timber buildings suited to conversion.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Pig housing and outdoor pig arks.
Agricultural buildings with possible change-of-use routes.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Buildings and land whose old use has ended or could change.
Pubs mapped as closed or disused.
Conversion or redevelopment, subject to community-asset rules.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Former bank branches.
Town-centre buildings ready for a new use.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Old track beds, sidings and yards.
Linear land that can suit access, paths or development.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Surface car parks.
Flat, previously developed land.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Tennis, netball and multi-use courts.
Filter by number of courts, surface and lighting.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Golf courses with their size and holes.
Large land holdings. Filter by size and holes.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Filling stations, former fuel sites and gaps in EV charging.
Forecourt redevelopment and EV charging opportunities.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Infrastructure that shapes what a site can become.
Substations, overhead lines, power stations, solar, wind and battery sites.
Grid nearby matters for solar, battery and industrial schemes. Filter by type and voltage.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Solar, wind, battery and other projects in the national planning database.
Shows what's built, approved or refused nearby.
SourceRenewable Energy Planning Database (DESNZ)
Farmland near substations, and desk plots, scored for a solar farm or battery.
Early sight of ground-mount solar and battery land.
SourceOpenStreetMap substations, Natural England land classification, REPD
Active and disused quarries and pits.
Disused quarries can suit restoration, leisure or development. Filter by status and size.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Historic and operating landfill, recycling centres, scrap yards and transfer stations.
Flags contamination and neighbour issues, and reuse potential.
SourceEnvironment Agency Historic Landfill Sites, OpenStreetMap
Reservoirs, water and sewage works, fish farms, lakes, ponds and basins.
Water features affect access, flood risk and amenity.
SourceOpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Constraints drawn over every finder.
Designations shown on the map and checked for each site.
These decide whether Class Q or Class J applies and what a scheme needs.
Sourceplanning.data.gov.uk, Environment Agency flood map
Locations, scores and owners are on the desk, for signed-in users only.
Open data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); HM Land Registry INSPIRE; planning.data.gov.uk; Environment Agency (OGL, and the Historic Landfill dataset under its conditional licence); DESNZ REPD (OGL); Natural England (OGL); OS OpenMap Local (OGL). No site locations or counts are shown on this page.