Buying Site subject to planning

slingerz

Apologies if this thread is in the wrong place!

We are looking at buying a site subject to gaining planning permission on it.

However, we are totally clueless as to the steps involved! Is it possible to contact the local planning department and ask them what the likelihood is for planning in that area? As far as i am aware it is zoned for planning though.

also, what is the cost of applying for planning etc.?

And is there anything that we should be looking out for in this process such as council connections etc.?

Angry bird

Seek a pre planning meeting with the council or go into their offices and find out what you can at the counter.

slingerz

Angry bird wrote: »

Seek a pre planning meeting with the council or go into their offices and find out what you can at the counter.

do i need to have drawings etc. at that point?

JimmyMW

slingerz wrote: »

Apologies if this thread is in the wrong place!

We are looking at buying a site subject to gaining planning permission on it.

However, we are totally clueless as to the steps involved! Is it possible to contact the local planning department and ask them what the likelihood is for planning in that area? As far as i am aware it is zoned for planning though.

also, what is the cost of applying for planning etc.?

And is there anything that we should be looking out for in this process such as council connections etc.?

If you read the local area plan and the development plan for the area where the site is, that should let you know if you would possibly be eligible for planning on this particular site.

You most likely wont get a pre planning meeting with the planner until you have a registered interest in the site, ie until either you have a letter from the owner giving you permission to apply for planning on the site or you own the site. Anyway you wont get much out of the planners with no primarily work done first.

If you are finding the development plans etc difficult to follow it may be worth paying a planning consultant/local architect for a consultation regarding this site, it should cost no more than a hundred or two.

All you need to do at this stage is figure out if are eligible for planning on this particular site, ie meeting local needs etc, if you are eligible than its worth your while bidding and you will be buying it subject to planning anyway so you can sort out the finer detail at that stage.

If you are not eligible for planning on this site do not waste your time bidding on it while possible driving up the price on someone who may be eligible.

antiskeptic

slingerz wrote: »

do i need to have drawings etc. at that point?

It would help. They needn't be full architects drawings but the nearer you can get to what it is you want to build, the better they can give an opinion on whether a flyer or not. Provide vague information and a vague answer (which is pretty useless given the consequences of buying land and not getting what you want on it).

Some kind of plan view and a few elevations showing your desire in relation to what's going on around the house will help inform the planners. As well as good photos showing the site and approaches. Perhaps some Google Earth / Bing images if these available for the area.

Consider where the objections are going to come from / ask the planners what they think

Consider getting a planning consultant in on the case for the prelims. It is, afterall, a big investment to go wrong on.

Bear in mind too, that planners won't be interested if the site has the dog in the street queuing up to bid - are they to hold pre-planning meetings with the world and his dog?

Calahonda52

slingerz wrote: »

...
We are looking at buying a site subject to gaining planning permission on it.

Good advice given earlier, just wonder how above will work or do you mean that it is "eligible" for planning.

If you intend going the whole hog and applying for planning for something on the site and expect the seller to wait, then you need a profession to work with you as there is a lot to look out for/do.
As well as the planning etc you need to ensure clean title and proper unencumbered access and not find some centuries old right of way through the proposed front door etc...

Angry bird

slingerz wrote: »

Angry bird wrote: »

Seek a pre planning meeting with the council or go into their offices and find out what you can at the counter.

do i need to have drawings etc. at that point?

I'd be just looking at the principle and an idea od type of design and relevant site specifics. As you're not owner may not get a meeting which is why I suggested to go into the office and find as much info as you can. In short find out as much as you can for free before spending money.

JimmyMW

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Good advice given earlier, just wonder how above will work or do you mean that it is "eligible" for planning.

If you intend going the whole hog and applying for planning for something on the site and expect the seller to wait, then you need a profession to work with you as there is a lot to look out for/do.
As well as the planning etc you need to ensure clean title and proper unencumbered access and not find some centuries old right of way through the proposed front door etc...

I was commenting on the applicants (OP) eligibility for planning on that particular site. The OP said that they are inexperienced in this whole process and in my experiance the most common misconception is that a site is eligible for planning. While this may be true in certain circumstances it is usually the case (outside development boundaries) that the applicant would also need to be eligible, people don't realize that one person may get planning on a particular site while another wont even be considered even if the house design is identical on the same site.

When buying "subject to planning" a time-frame to have a planning application lodged is normally agreed in the contract. A clean title etc should be established by the OP's solicitor prior to signing the contract and hence prior to submitting a planning application.

slingerz

maybe i should have given further info on the site to clear up some of the ambiguity that i may have created.

the larger plot of land which encompasses this site was previously zoned for high density housing. the adjacent site has FPP for a bungalow on it. The site i am interested is the 2nd parcel of land that is up for sale however the vendor has not sought planning on this site yet which is why i would buy it subject to receiving suitable planning.

i am going to call into the local planning office and make some general inquiries as to what is required and about the general location. once i have agreed a price with the vendor for the sale subject to planning i will get the plans done. at this point i will seek a pre-planning meeting to discover if it is within the realms of plausibility.

Does the above seem like an appropriate plan of action?

JimmyMW

slingerz wrote: »

maybe i should have given further info on the site to clear up some of the ambiguity that i may have created.

the larger plot of land which encompasses this site was previously zoned for high density housing. the adjacent site has FPP for a bungalow on it. The site i am interested is the 2nd parcel of land that is up for sale however the vendor has not sought planning on this site yet which is why i would buy it subject to receiving suitable planning.

i am going to call into the local planning office and make some general inquiries as to what is required and about the general location. once i have agreed a price with the vendor for the sale subject to planning i will get the plans done. at this point i will seek a pre-planning meeting to discover if it is within the realms of plausibility.

Does the above seem like an appropriate plan of action?

Ok well thats different, id check the current development plan first to see if the zoning is still the same, if so it is highly unlikely that applicant eligibility will come into it. Secondly id take picture of the neighboring properties which will give the planner a better idea if what you are proposing is plausible or not, however I expect you will be told to make a pre-planning meeting before they will give you any indication.

slingerz

JimmyMW wrote: »

Ok well thats different, id check the current development plan first to see if the zoning is still the same, if so it is highly unlikely that applicant eligibility will come into it. Secondly id take picture of the neighboring properties which will give the planner a better idea if what you are proposing is plausible or not, however I expect you will be told to make a pre-planning meeting before they will give you any indication.

it was zoned for high density in the boom time and my fiance is from less than 500M down the road if that makes any difference to it

JimmyMW

slingerz wrote: »

it was zoned for high density in the boom time and my fiance is from less than 500M down the road if that makes any difference to it

Development plans will most likely have been updated since then so its worth checking to make sure things are still the same.