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Plot development advice


yod dropper
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I'm investigating knocking down the house and applying to build perhaps 4-7 suitable homes though ideally not for an immediate sale. With good access and nearby development precedents having been set planning permission is a distinct possibility and should be financially viable. There are multiple neighbours and several non-protected trees will need to be removed. Despite considerable time spent on search engines they're not yielding anything of much use, so.....

My question is how to go about doing this. Direct to the council planning? Architect and then local council planning? Architect throughout? Developer led? Any experiences or advice welcome. Depending on how this goes I may be after recommendations.

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Life will be easier if you remove the trees first and don't tell anybody why you are doing it. Nesting season at the moment but talk to arborists about the job. I am assuming these trees are in a domestic environment rather than agricultural. Either way, the planners will want to keep them protected or not.

I would expect an ecology report to be required so check out bat population, likelihood of newts etc to have an idea where you will stand on that one.

IIRC you will have to have an affordable housing element on a development that size, Community Infrastructure Levy, contribution to local playgrounds etc.

You are going to need an architect at the very least and an experienced developer. Do not assume any of the people you enrol are competent and assume the planning department definitely isn't. You need to be on the ball yourself to keep tabs on what they are doing.

Not sure what you mean by not for immediate sale, if it is the sale of the plot with planning then you need to protect your permission by making "a significant start" if it is the houses I would say sell the plot with the benefit of planning and let someone else take the stress.

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5 minutes ago, 39TDS said:

Life will be easier if you remove the trees first and don't tell anybody why you are doing it. Nesting season at the moment but talk to arborists about the job. I am assuming these trees are in a domestic environment rather than agricultural. Either way, the planners will want to keep them protected or not.

I would expect an ecology report to be required so check out bat population, likelihood of newts etc to have an idea where you will stand on that one.

IIRC you will have to have an affordable housing element on a development that size, Community Infrastructure Levy, contribution to local playgrounds etc.

You are going to need an architect at the very least and an experienced developer. Do not assume any of the people you enrol are competent and assume the planning department definitely isn't. You need to be on the ball yourself to keep tabs on what they are doing.

Not sure what you mean by not for immediate sale, if it is the sale of the plot with planning then you need to protect your permission by making "a significant start" if it is the houses I would say sell the plot with the benefit of planning and let someone else take the stress.

As above.

But don't knock your house down before you have all of the relevant permissions in your hand.

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I would seriously consider using a Planning Consultant. The one we used is brilliant and works throughout E Anglia. Worth every penny.

PM me if you would like contact details.

Edited by Eyefor
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I would be speaking to a suitable developer about an option agreement. They do all the hard work getting planning paying investigation costs with option to buy at market value less a discount for their input. Usually pay an option fee up front too. Sound out a few developers you know are active in the locality.

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1 hour ago, Revo said:

I would see a solicitor.they should now the law .what you can and can not do 

I would be very surprised if the solicitor had any idea whatsoever on what to do. You will of course need one for various things throughout the development but wouldn't look to one at this point for advice.

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I would recommend a planning consultant / land agent, we are architects and can do that type of work but in my experience the process goes more smoothly with a planning consultant. Removed from design or responsibility for numbers etc they simply have the right contacts (like us) to get the job done. If you go to a developer now you will be getting pennies on your pounds. 

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5 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

I would be speaking to a suitable developer about an option agreement. They do all the hard work getting planning paying investigation costs with option to buy at market value less a discount for their input. Usually pay an option fee up front too. Sound out a few developers you know are active in the locality.

This +1. Two or three developers for best. Local building companies that develop these size plots. And get rid of any unprotected trees.

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6 hours ago, 39TDS said:

Life will be easier if you remove the trees first and don't tell anybody why you are doing it. Nesting season at the moment but talk to arborists about the job. I am assuming these trees are in a domestic environment rather than agricultural. Either way, the planners will want to keep them protected or not.

I would expect an ecology report to be required so check out bat population, likelihood of newts etc to have an idea where you will stand on that one.

IIRC you will have to have an affordable housing element on a development that size, Community Infrastructure Levy, contribution to local playgrounds etc.

You are going to need an architect at the very least and an experienced developer. Do not assume any of the people you enrol are competent and assume the planning department definitely isn't. You need to be on the ball yourself to keep tabs on what they are doing.

Not sure what you mean by not for immediate sale, if it is the sale of the plot with planning then you need to protect your permission by making "a significant start" if it is the houses I would say sell the plot with the benefit of planning and let someone else take the stress.

I would be very careful about removing trees. All trees are protected by TPOs if over a certain size, you could find yourself with large fines.

The requirement for social housing depends on area and the local Council policy. Some councils it's 25% of housing, some it's 10%, some it's 25%, but only kicks in with a development over 6 houses, it really is very variable across the country.

Basically, as others have said, you really need a planning consultant.

Oh, have an informal chat with your planning department too. You might be surprised how helpful they can be.

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Hi

At the initial point I would recommend the Local Planning Authority are approached for 'Pre-Planning Application Advice' - relatively straight forward forms and no detailed drawings/information needed for this stage. They will come back to you with a couple of pages of the policies that will need to be complied with and other matters that a Full application will need to include and cover. Relatively inexpensive for the individual.

With this you can then approach a Planning Consultant to make a Full Application with the necessary drawings/plans/information from the Pre-App Advice. this will obviously cost more but once permitted/granted, you can then put up the site for sale with planning permission, as an alternative to giving a Local Developer (LD) the option to purchase if planning permission is granted. Clearly the LD will pick up the costs of the Full application and offer you a sum for the option.

Be careful/wary of just 'getting rid' of trees without checking if they have a TPO on them - Planners/Arboriculture folk like to see/retain trees so with a bit of adjustment of any layout may well make the site a better environment.

L

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Land agent. Do not spk to planning (I was a development planner). You need to be clear about what you want to do before you go public and that needs a commercial view. You want to be able to tell planning what you want to do and how it fits with local giuidance rather than asking. Remember you want to build value not what you think you would like.

It would be possible to do it with a developer partner but you would then have the matter of values and development contributions to aportion for which you would need an agent.

Edited by oowee
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Use a planning consultant.

Also, if you need other neighbouring plots on board as part of a wider scheme / plan then go and see a brief and get yourself a blank option agreement.

I’ve seen lots of schemes fail / fall apart when someone who promised (in a non legally binding fashion) to fall in with a development plan on a handshake / agreed terms and then when the scheme shapes up and becomes a reality they then ransom the developer for more. 

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4 hours ago, oowee said:

Land agent. Do not spk to planning (I was a development planner). You need to be clear about what you want to do before you go public and that needs a commercial view. You want to be able to tell planning what you want to do and how it fits with local giuidance rather than asking. Remember you want to build value not what you think you would like.

It would be possible to do it with a developer partner but you would then have the matter of values and development contributions to aportion for which you would need an agent.

Agreed. 

It all depends how and when you want to make your money. Do you want to flip the plot with outline planning or do you want to develop it yourself? 

You will need specialist advice and you need to be prepared to pay for it.

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5 hours ago, robbiep said:

I would be very careful about removing trees. All trees are protected by TPOs if over a certain size

This is why you need to be on the ball yourself, robbie claims all trees above a certain size are protected, I will insist they are not.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244528/2127793.pdf

All types, but not hedges, bushes or shrubs. An order can protect anything from a single tree to all trees within a defined area or woodland. Any species can be protected, but no species is automatically protected by a tree preservation order.

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Before you chop any trees down or demolish any buildings get professional advice from a planning specialist.

No offence to any developers, but a small scale developer who would touch such a small site is unlikely to have the knowledge or capability to deal with the increasingly complex statutory framework with an optimal outcome.

Worst case scenario is that you chop down a load of good trees and that planning is unobtainable due to some existing constraint or policy. What sort of stewardship is that? Plus the cost of the tree surgeon. 

Edited by WalkedUp
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