Are you a land owner and you want to either self-build, complete your own development or sell your land with planning approval?
At ZMA we have a number of sites within Greenbelt, Open Countryside, Conservation Areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty across Lancashire and the Ribble Valley. Each site is unique and has its own limitations. What you can do with your land is dependent on the National and Local planning policies associated with the site’s exact location. For example, sometimes sites next to each other or on the same street will have different limitations, one site may lie within a settlement boundary and one site may lie within the Greenbelt.
It is advisable to contact a qualified consultant to provide you with some initial guidance to understand the development potential, site constraints and likelihood of gaining approval prior to making any planning submissions, pre-applications or even commencing initial designs.
Our client base varies from individual families wanting to build their own bespoke dream homes; farmers wanting to sell land with planning approval; and commercial clients gaining approval for medium to large scale sites.
The value of a site with and without planning approval can vary from £10,000 per acre without planning approval, and will achieve upwards from £100,000 per acre with planning approval. Some sites with planning approval for a unique dwelling in a desirable area may even achieve up to 50% of the end value of the completed scheme for the site with planning approval. Therefore some of our clients with no development experience opt to sell with planning approval.
If you own land which is located within a settlement boundary, or a brownfield site, it is highly likely that planning approval will be gained. However, land within the open countryside greenbelt, or AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) is not as simple. Planning success can be dependent on the following factors (please note this list is not exhaustive):
- The Local Authority
- The specific location
- Proximity to the settlement boundary
- If there are any existing structures on the site
- The current use of the site
- The proposed use of the site
- The design
- The specific requirements of the end-user
- Impact on heritage assets and their settings
- Access
- Trees and landscaping
- Flood risk and drainage
- Visual impact
- If the Local Authority can currently demonstrate a 5 year housing supply
For example, some sites which are highly sensitive and located outside of the settlement boundary would need to meet the design standards to be truly outstanding or innovative, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design in rural areas. Other sites may only be suitable for a commercial use for example tourism, and sites with existing structures have more scope for new development.
If you want to discuss the development opportunities for your site, complete the contact form and provide us with the requested information. We will provide you with initial advice during our enquiry meeting, and some sites would benefit from a site feasibility study.
