Britain’s railways are full of forgotten pockets of land, such as old goods yards, sidings and spaces beside major stations — but these quiet corners could soon play a far bigger role in shaping the places we live.
As demand for housing continues to grow across the country, pressure is mounting to find new places to build without encroaching on precious green spaces.
Now, Network Rail has launched a new property development company, Platform4, with the aim of turning these brownfield sites into thousands of homes, workplaces and regenerated neighbourhoods.
Bringing together London & Continental Railways with Network Rail’s existing property arm, Platform4 hopes to fast-track development in areas where transport links already exist — making new communities easier to build and easier to reach.
Its nationwide development pipeline stretches across 47 towns and cities and 22 London boroughs, with an ambitious target to deliver up to 40,000 new homes and 10 million square metres of commercial space over the next decade.
Network Rail says this approach could generate around £1 billion a year in public value, easing pressure on greenfield sites and supporting more sustainable, transit-linked communities.
So far, Platform4 has identified four principal sites as early priorities.
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Newcastle Forth Goods Yard
Sitting just outside central Newcastle, plans suggest this former goods yard could deliver up to 600 homes, with the wider area able to support a further 2,500 if surrounding land is unlocked.
A revived neighbourhood here could strengthen links between the city centre, the river and nearby communities.
Manchester Mayfield
Once home to a long-disused station, the Mayfield site has already begun its transformation with the opening of a new city park.
Platform4’s plans add around 1,500 homes, helping to create a new residential district right next to Manchester Piccadilly.
This would continue the momentum behind one of the city’s most high-profile regeneration projects.
Cambridge
Land close to the city’s busy rail corridor is set for a mixed-use development delivering roughly 425 homes.
With Cambridge’s population and employment base expanding rapidly, this site could help ease demand while supporting better, more transport-integrated development.
Nottingham
Building on earlier successes — including the 348 homes completed at The Barnum, near Nottingham station — Platform4 expects this project to provide around 200 more.
As with other rail-adjacent schemes, the emphasis is on making better use of land that already has strong transport connections.
Collectively, these developments are projected to yield over 2,700 new homes in the near term.
But even before Platform4 was formally created, Network Rail and London & Continental Railways had already helped deliver over 7,000 homes nationwide over the past year.
Meanwhile, Network Rail’s retail estate recorded £914 million in sales across 19 stations last year — demonstrating the scale and potential of its commercial property operations.
Platform4 plans to work closely with local councils and communities to secure planning consents, affordable housing commitments and the infrastructure needed to support new neighbourhoods.
Robin Dobson, CEO of Platform4 said: ‘Our railways once powered the first industrial revolution. Today they hold the key to the next.
‘By unlocking and regenerating brownfield land within the rail estate, we will generate further investment, create jobs through the delivery of homes, commercial space and new communities, whilst supporting the government housing agenda.’
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