Serious Advice for Landowners, Perfectly Positioned To Assist Your Sale or Purchase

Land, Development and Localism 2011

More than ever before, it's time to get planning applications in and registered

Our Senior Partner Jamie Flatman attempts to explain why...

From the latter part of 2008 through to mid 2010 Developers and the House-Building industry made very few new land acquisitions as a result of funding difficulties, world market vagaries and falling sales volumes.

As a result of a slowdown in land acquisition the number of 'new start' sites has fallen commensurately, creating a current national shortage of new homes.

By the third quarter of 2010 land buyers were back to work with a fairly prescriptive agenda and an appetite which favoured land for housing in preference to land for flats.

Fortunately demand for land continues and despite the confusion created in the planning system by Eric Pickles in the scrapping of Regional Spatial Strategy.

House-Builders and Developers seem keen to secure planning permission before the introduction of the further frustrations of the Localism Bill due to impact later this year or early 2012.

Localism, by involving too many people with opposing interests, it is feared by the industry, will bring about a paralysis of the planning system with smaller schemes and smaller developers faring worse than the national house-builders for whom the cost 'per unit' of managing Localism will be diluted by volume.

If you own land with building potential you are likely to have a far less political experience through the already overburdened and unnecessarily complex planning system, now, than in a years time.

With more than 35 years land and construction experience, The Flatman Partnership are well placed to consult and guide both landowners and developers to confront the ever increasing plethora of obstacles frustrating the way to providing housing for our communities.

Housing is as much a political 'hot potato' as it is an opportunity for Politicians to garner the support of the electorate. Failure to provide an adequate housing supply of an appropriate standard, is as much a political negative as upsetting the 'Nimby's' and local action groups who, it seems exist solely to rally a sweeping antipathy to 'change'.

There has been much political offset made by the promoting of 'Green Issues' through the planning and construction processes and this, through increased environmental assessments, the Code for Sustainable Houses and evolving Building Regulation is set to continue, ultimately at the expense of the Landowner as development costs and risks increase.

To the better interests of the landowner, since March 2000 construction in the Green Belt has been heavily resisted in favour of meeting increased housing demand and the need to re-generate effete housing stock through the more efficient re-use of land within the urban envelope.

It was feared that the Coalition Governments stance on 'Garden Grabbing' and 'Back-land' development would sterilise opportunities for landowners to provide housing. This flies in the face of historic guidance for the efficient re-use of Brownfield sites and there seems to be little evidence of support for this stance either by Local Planning Authorities or the Inspectorate for the Department of the Environment.

Another political 'hot potato' seems to have been the suggestion by Kate Barker in her final review of her earlier report in 2004 recommending the taxation of land-owners gains which have hitherto been treated by the Inland Revenue on smaller sites to be exempt. Currently capital gains on the sale of fragmented land sites of under half a hectare in primary ownership remain un-taxed but it is unlikely this will last ad infinitum.

In all this presents a convincing range of arguments as to why the spring of 2011 could be the last call for landowners to efficiently promote their assets through the planning system before potentially watching them depreciate in real terms against house prices.

If you would like to informally discuss your land holding or development requirement in a relaxed way, contact Jamie Flatman on 01189 660055 or email land@flatmans.com.

Development site with detailed planning permission

Land at 25 - 29 High Street, Crowthorne

A timely opportunity to buy a small manageable development site just as the development industry is starting to rekindle its interest in land acquisition, hopefully a precursor to the start of a period of economic growth.

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Land at 25 - 29 High Street, Crowthorne

A speculative development, or other land driven opportunity

48 Sutcliffe Avenue, Earley, Reading

A speculative development, or other land driven opportunity, comprising a detached bungalow with a former orchard to the rear.

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48 Sutcliffe Avenue, Earley, Reading

Ideal for purchasers to build their own home - Single consented building plot

Peacocks, Hurst, Berkshire

Situated opposite the village pond, a good sized level single building plot with detailed planning permission for a two storey, cottage style detached home with a gross internal area of approximately 103 square metres (1,113 square feet).