Approaching Land Owners (Self Build)

mrb1972

Hi,

We are hoping to buy some land and eventually self build, we have identified some potential plots and need to approach the land owners via a letter, has anyone had any experience/success in this, I'm not exactly sure what the best way to word the letter is.

Thanks

Cakeguts

Self build plots are advertised in various places. There is no point in just buying land if there is no chance of you getting outline planning permission. You can't get outline planning permission on just any old piece of land. Even some large back gardens will never be granted planning permission for building. So I don't understand the need to contact the land owners. Either the land is for sale now or it isn't.

mrb1972

Cakeguts wrote: »

Self build plots are advertised in various places. There is no point in just buying land if there is no chance of you getting outline planning permission. You can't get outline planning permission on just any old piece of land. Even some large back gardens will never be granted planning permission for building. So I don't understand the need to contact the land owners. Either the land is for sale now or it isn't.

Sorry I wasn't clear in my post, I am not just plucking out random plots from google maps, they are plots that are awaiting planning permission or plots that have planning permission but have yet to be built on..

Cakeguts

mrb1972 wrote: »

Sorry I wasn't clear in my post, I am not just plucking out random plots from google maps, they are plots that are awaiting planning permission or plots that have planning permission but have yet to be built on..

Buying a plot of land is like buying a house. The ones that have planning permission presumably are being offered for sale? So make an offer.

The ones that don't have planning permission may never get it so it is better to ignore those.

boom

We approached a landowner about buying land to self-build on almost three years ago. The land is/was just sat there, with no planning permission.We wrote a letter which basically said:

- you own this land
- we'd like to buy this bit of it (we shaded in a bit of the Land Registry plan and put that with the letter)
- we'd like to build a house on it
- please get in touch with us so we can talk about it

The owner was a large corporate entity running loads of shops/premises, they were based a long way away from the land. They had a chap working there who dealt with all their property stuff.

They replied the same day they received our letter and told us to get stuffed.

We didn't take no for an answer though, we kept on at him for 18 months. This ended with him meeting us on site where we shook hands on a deal/price. We agreed to buy it subject to planning, so we exchange but we only have to complete IF we get planning.

It took a further 14 months for us to agree legal terms (long story, but none of the delays were on our side).

We exchanged a few months ago, we've been working on our designs etc with an architect and we'll be putting in for planning permission soon.

With ours the key was to establish a relationship with the guy and convince him that we weren't wasting his time. The money we're paying for the land is the world to us, but it's nothing to them as a large company.

Good luck with yours!

AdrianC

Cakeguts wrote: »

The ones that don't have planning permission may never get it so it is better to ignore those.

That's not quite true, given the recent neighbourhood development plans, and the pushes by local authorities to identify suitable sites.

In our village, there's two areas which are explicitly listed in the NDP as being preferred for development - neither has had any planning app, but it would almost certainly be successful, assuming all other factors were suitable.

AlexMac

Most Councils have online access to planning applications, and the pack of associated documents, apart from the approval letter, site plans etc will include the original application with an applicant's address; usually the owner, or sometimes a developer, architect or agent. The building's Plans and Design Statement will probably also have an Architect's name so you can try an approach that way.
Some applicants will have applied for permission with a view to either building themselves, or developing it for sale; but I guess they still might be open to offers by a self-builder (my neighbour got lucky ths way; albeit that he paid three times more fr the site with permission, than it slod for before plans were drawn up a year prior!).

Don't ignore plots without permission; unless they are outside a village boundary or in land designated for other purposes (e.g. metropolitan open space, green belt or agriculture...) they may be viable. Our Council has publicly available policies on "garden grabbing" or "infill " plots and many homes have been built on such sites in our inner city area. Planners are sometimes willing to chat informally; others may actually ask for money up front with sketch plans for a "pre-planning advice" meeting.

Look at the pattern of development in your area of choice to see whether there are precedents in terms of densities, heights, garden or infill projects; if you propose something similar you may get lucky.

Or buy a run down house and demolish it? Or a bungalow and develop up? We had a 3-bed bungalow opposite which was given approval for development; and there are now two four storey houses sunk 6m deep with 2 levels underground as there is a presumption against higher houses in our street. Nightmare for the neighbours during excavation and piling; but the newcomers are nice families so no hard feelings

Finally "Housebuilder and Renovator" magazine (online and in its monthly paper format) has inspirational content, but also a plotfinder feature; good value for an initail year's subscription.

Good luck; wish I was young enough to have done this!

mrb1972

Thanks AlexMac/AdrianC/boom for your posts - interesting reading. I am in the process of doing some of what you suggest, looking at run down properties, plots awaiting permission, plots that "may" get permission etc - finding it hard to find the owners of some though, even on the land registry

AdrianC

mrb1972 wrote: »

finding it hard to find the owners of some though, even on the land registry

I'm not surprised. The plots I'm thinking of are very unlikely to have changed ownership since compulsory registration came into being. But that doesn't mean you can't find out - you just need to go old-school.

"Ooh, that field? 'im be old Ted's field, 'im be."

ProDave

I bought my plot that I am building on right now direct from the land owner. It was a softly softly thing over a long period of time.

I had know the plot, and it's owner for some time, though I would not say I knew him well. The plot was sold in 1980 with planning permission, but the buyer never built on it.

Every time I met him, I mentioned I would like to buy it, and every time he said it's not for sale, his son was going to build on it.

Eventually I gave him an ultimatum. I wanted to buy it, I was serious, I mentioned a figure and said if I can't buy it, I will buy an alternative plot. Next day he phoned me back to say I can buy it.

My offer was subject to planning permission (just in case something had changed that meant the permission would not be renewed) and I bought it after outline planning was obtained.

So don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.

Alesia_Sirokina

It would be amazing if someone could help me.....I am looking for the land for self build project. I have searched on land registry my prefered area to identified available plot and thinking to contact owner to ask if they are willing to sell, however plot does not have PP. I have identified that recently PP was granted to identical plot next to this one, would this mean PP should not be a problem to site I am interested in? Also, on the land charge register there is condition, that land should stay unbuild and used as garden only. Is it possible to change condition so I can build it? Or is it better just to avoid this land plot?