PLANS to identify brownfield land within the city region which will be used to lobby government for funding have been approved.

St Helens Council leader Derek Long presented a report on brownfield housing sites to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on Friday.

The report detailed the approach the combined authority is going to take in regard to brownfield housing sites in relation to its brownfield land register.

Cllr Long has previously reiterated his intention to adopt a “brownfield first” approach to development in St Helens as part of a balanced Local Plan.

And he revealed earlier this month that he has “pressed” the combined authority to bring the brownfield report forward.

Addressing the combined authority, Cllr Long said the report will demonstrate how the combined authority can turn the proposition of brownfield first into a more “realistic and tangible activity”.

Cllr Long said: “Across the city region there is just shy of 500 hectares of brownfield land, that’s land previously used with infrastructure in terms of roads and schools and things like that.

“Land that we are having difficulty getting built on.

“That could generate 22,000 thousand additional homes, which is obviously attractive in terms of supporting the infrastructure.

“But the catch is that it may cost £250,000 per hectare, who knows, it could be much, much more up towards a million by some of the estimates in terms of this report.”

Cllr Long said if the combined authority is successful in securing funding to develop brownfield sites it will facilitate a “significant delivery of housing”.

“This is big money,” he said.

“This is a key strategic development which we require from outside the city region's resources and that’s why we’re exercising it.

“If we achieve this approach I think this will facilitate a significant delivery of housing, sustainable on currently brownfield land.”

The combined authority approved the recommendations in the report.