Repurposing degraded or underused land applies circular economy principles to reduce land take and soil sealing by prioritising the reuse, regeneration, and restoration of existing land resources. It brings vacant, underused, degraded, contaminated, or previously developed sites back into productive use while often improving soil conditions. Typical interventions include brownfield redevelopment, de-sealing, ecological restoration, urban densification, and infill development. By reducing pressure on undeveloped land and supporting the regeneration of degraded areas, circular land use can contribute to soil-positive land use transitions, sustainable territorial development, and healthier, more resilient landscapes.

Recommendations for Implementation

• Repurposing degraded or underused land begin with a site-specific assessment of soil conditions and feasibility assessment that matches the future land use with the level of remediation and soil restoration required. For brownfields and former industrial sites, this includes investigation of contamination risks to human health and the environment.
• If needed, a remediation strategy is selected may involve a range of technical measures that support the physical transformation, restoration or regeneration of the soils and the land: site preparation and demolition, de-sealing and soil removal, remediation of contaminated land, rehabilitation of degraded soils, restoration of natural hydrological conditions.
• For degraded but non-contaminated soils, repurposing can be accompanied by soil regeneration rather than simply changing the land use, with measures such as decompaction, restoration of soil structure and topsoil, incorporation of suitable organic amendments, erosion control, establishment of vegetation.
• For contaminated soils, interventions approaches can include in-situ or ex-situ remediation methods, with conventional approaches such as excavation and disposal possibly creating secondary environmental impacts, whereas sustainable approaches can integrate redevelopment with nature-based solutions and ecological restoration.
• Where buildings, infrastructure or sealed surfaces are present, implementation should entail selective demolition, de-sealing and material recovery: following a circular handling approach existing structures and construction materials should be assessed for reuse or recycling before demolition, while excavated soils should be characterised and, where technically and legally suitable, retained and reused on site rather than unnecessarily transported to disposal facilities
• Where repurposing involves wetlands, peatlands, waterfronts or sites with specific water regimes, hydrological processes should be restored alongside soil functions. This may involve water-sensitive practices such as rewetting drained peatlands, restoring groundwater and surface-water connections, removing or modifying drainage infrastructure, creating retention areas, or incorporating wetlands, floodable areas and other sponge-landscape measures. In these situations, the future land use should be compatible with the restored hydrological regime.
• Depending on the intended final use of the site, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions can be integrated to simultaneously restore soil functions and provide multiple other benefits (such increase biodiversity, reduce urban heat and provide recreational or productive uses) to increase the environmental and socioeconomic benefits of redevelopment.
• Where soil conditions are too degraded, or technically and economically unsuitable for restoration, retaining the existing sealed surface and developing above may be preferable to disturbing and mobilising contaminated or irreversibly degraded soils, particularly where the proposed use can be accommodated without further soil disturbance. This approach should, however, be considered within a wider soil-compensation strategy, where high-quality soils elsewhere are protected or restored to compensate for the continued sealing.

Examples enhancing soil health

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Planning examples

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Technical guides and inspiring research

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