Public sector owned car parks have the potential to deliver more than 110,000 new homes while maintaining parking services, a new study has revealed.

In the first study of its kind, Knight Frank has mapped the exact location of all government owned car parks, which could yield up to 2.1 million homes.

It found that two-thirds of public sector-owned car parks do not have meaningful access to high street retail, while 91% are within a five-minute walk to another car park.

Even if just 15% were released for housing, this would deliver more than 110,000 new homes and raise £6bn in land receipts for the Treasury.

Ian McGuinness, head of geospatial at Knight Frank, said: ‘The study shines a light on the sheer scale of the opportunity to deliver much needed housing on government-owned land. What we have learned from this new research has evolved our own understanding of this market and the opportunity for government departments to work together to deliver housing.

’Through this work, MHCLG has created the first detailed picture of which central government departments own the country’s car parks.’