Built up areas
Land which is characteristic of a village, town or city
- Design stage
- Co-design
- Datasets
- Frequency of updates
- Every 2 years
- Useful links
- Discussion
- Join the discussion on GitHub
- Last updated
- 5 September 2024
Backlog
Who asked for 'Built up areas' data?
Geospatial Commission - identified as a dataset to make data easier to find for the sector.
What is the driver for the request?
Other
Which 2024 focus area does the request support?
Faster local plans;Other
Screen
What is the 'Built up areas' consideration?
Built-up areas (BUAs) are a geography based on the physical built environment, using Ordnance Survey topographic data to recognise developed land, such as cities, towns, and villages. This allows economic and social statistics to be investigated based on actual settlements where most people live.
BUAs are classified by population size as minor, small, medium, large or major, and characteristics are explored using Census 2021 data.
Is there legislation that defines 'Built up areas'?
No
Who, in law, is responsible for the planning consideration or makes decisions about 'Built up areas'?
ONS
Which organisations do we think should publish the data?
Office for National Statistics
Is the Built up areas a trigger?
No
Is the Built up areas something to consult during plan making?
No
Is there any Built up areas data already available?
Yes
What Built up areas data is currently available?
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/15e3be7f-66ed-416c-b0f2-241e87668642/built-up-areas-december-2011-boundaries-v2
- Built Up Areas (2024) Boundaries EW BGG (publisher: ONS; coverage: National; licence: OGL; fields: OBJECTID;gsscode;BUA24CD;BUA24NM;BUA24NMW;geometry_a;areahectar;Shape_Area;Shape_Length)
- OS Open Built Up Areas (publisher: OS; coverage: National; licence: OGL)
Do we think the data should come from a single source?
ONS
Will a data standard be required?
No
Research
Do we understand the lifecycle of a Built up areas?
No
Do we understand how the data is created/produced?
N/A
Where will or should the data be used?
N/A
What other planning considerations does it interact with?
N/A
Other than the statutory consultees who are the primary users of Built up areas? How do we expect them to use Built up areas?
N/A
What are the planning needs for this data?
In order to support analysis into land use, statistical data such as built up areas can be used. Using this dataset, we are able to see what land is not built-up, and which can contribute towards understanding what land is available for development. While this is a useful statistical dataset, a more precise source will be required for site selection purposes.
From what we have learnt so far are there any risks to making Built up areas data available?
N/A