The governments policy PPG3 was written with the South East of the country in mind. There, they need to make maximum use of all available land to ensure they consume the minimum necessary green fields.

Probably for reasons of aiding public acceptance of the policy, the term 'brownfield' was used. This promoted the sensible image that  the government were going to tackle inner city, derelict industrial and contaminated land.

Unfortunately they need so much land in the South east that this PPG3 policy was worded to include pretty well every domestic back garden. The policy makes it so easy to get planning permission on back gardens that these types of sites are springing up everywhere.  This is good news in the South East  but  not in northern industrial towns. Here it is having the effect of allowing developers to more than meet the regional housing needs from suburban gardens.

Building on brownfield land would be good news in Wigan too, if the policy allowed the council to define what it thought was the real brownfield land needing development.

The current situation is a little mad in northern towns because the government is having to fund, grants  to clean, tidy and redevelop inner city areas of the excess housing created in the region. 

The Almond Brook Rd. Estate appeal was important because the 'gardens' of the properties were large and remote from the areas  of land that you would call 'gardened'. The land  would also be low on a list of land for development if the council were to draw up a list of sites for 'sustainable development'.

Unfortunately  the appeal was lost . Wigan had set very low standards in protecting Greenfield Land. Wainhomes used  the example of  Hindley Labour Club as an example where recognised woodland was developed.