This paper presents the main arguments and some first preliminary results of a PhD thesis examining the process of urban brownfield land re-use in London. It summarises some basic housebuilding trends and tries to place them within the wider context of housing provision in the UK with the help of a brief review of the theoretical background of the thesis. It hypothesises that recent changes in British urban policy, related to the types of land and types of development desired, will have significant effects to the structure of housing provision and production in the UK. Some indications of those changes are already visible, particularly in London. Finally, the paper concludes with the future topics that the research will cover.