ABSTRACT
This chapter examines brownfield ownership interests in selected cities of the United Kingdom within the context of “growth coalition theory” as developed from the United States. It focuses on the characteristics, attitudes and networks of owners of brownfield land in the UK, exploring their contribution to local property development and economic growth. The chapter presents the research on ownership interests in 20 potential redevelopment sites in each of several selected cities in the United Kingdom. The plethora of approaches to land ownership bears testimony to the range of attempts to reveal the significance of such interests in both the property development process and local economic development. The fundamental proposition of the concept of growth coalition is that the political and economic forces in any one locality co-operate to promote local economic growth. The chapter demonstrates that individual private-sector owners have significantly less experience of dealing with such sites than local authorities.
