Buying Land

Treacle_2-2

Does anyone have good advice with regard to buying land and attempting to get planning permission to build. It’s something I’ve been really wanting to do for a long time but find myself put off by the whole thought of getting permission granted etc. Just how long a process really is it and how costly?

skylight

When you find somewhere, phone the planning department first!! Tell them what you want to do and they can give you an "idea". They will not be able to categorically say wether they will be able to give planning permission or not, but they can give you the history of the place or tell you if planning permission is ever going to be likely.

Could save some heartache before you even start.

nadnad

I have recently bought a site and am now going through the process to eventually get my hosue built. I live in NI - most people who buy land over here for houses , don't just buy a field or whatever you buy a "site" which usually means outline planning permission has been granted. Inotherwaords the council have given the ok for a house to be built and they have set down guidelines within which the house must be - i.e. size of house, windows, two storey or one , garage etc etc. This makes the process a lot easier for us self builders we know that we can definitely build on that land therefore the risk of spending thousands on a dud site is very low.

What you are proposing is something that I don't think I would venture into - even if you phone the council before buying and ask about planning permission I don't know if they could give you a definitive answer there and then - if at all - they certainly wouldn't do that over here. Would you not rather buy a site with outline planning already granted?

Again I don't know if the situation in England is the same as over here but my dad has recently applied for outline permission (on land he already owns) and has been told it will take up to 9 months to get it granted.

You should really phone the planning office and speak to someone there about time scales, cost etc just so you're sure in your own mind.

Meanwhile I'm now going down the road of getting full planning permission i.e. our architect is drawing up the exact plans for our house and putting them forward to be approved by the council - this will take anything up to 6 months and our house is pretty straighforward and falls within the constrictions of the outline planning.

Anyway if you go through all this and need to know about how to get finance for your project just ask and I'll tell you all I know - as very few lenders will lend anything over 85% for your build and its even harder to get one to help you buy the actual land!!

Treacle_2-2

Thanks for your replies. I’m very aware that it is a gamble, that’s why I’ve always put it off, thinking it’ll be something I’d be happy to do once I’ve settled with a fella. Would be so much easier having someone else to share ‘the problems’ with! But my problem is waiting for the right fella is taking far longer than anticipated and not seeming such a great idea after all!! I’m getting too impatient now so why wait!! :-)
I was in touch with a guy who moved to Ireland to self build, he’d said it was far easier for him. He seemed to do really well, and most things just fell into place without much hassle. He lived there happily for 3 years, then started to feel a little too remote, missing the city things. Last year he sold up and went travelling! Fantastic to achieve his dream though!

GDB2222

Umm, what sort of land are you thinking of buying? You looking at a plot with outline planning permission?

Treacle_2-2

I haven’t found anything as I am not actively looking at the moment, but hope to be doing something by the end of the year. Just thought I’d ask the question and see what advice comes back! At the moment I’m thinking the easy option is maybe I’ll look into buying a house with a reasonable bit of land, just undecided and wondering whether to push myself that bit further!!

nadnad

so are you wanting just to buy a piece of land, house with land, or land with outline planning. You must have some idea what you are leaning towards!

Treacle_2-2

Ideally land to self build, but have little knowledge and think it’ll be a long, long process. The easier option (maybe) is for me to buy a house with land and at least I have somewhere to live whilst the months go by for planning permission etc. Maybe I’m dreaming too much as it’s a lot for a single girl to get into but I’d love to try and achieve it!

Doozergirl

When you've bought your land and apply for planning permission, the most expensive part is the architect. Meet with your architect and discuss what you want. Then, have an on-site meeting with your architect and a planning officer to discuss ideas BEFORE anything goes on paper. This way you will get a feel for what they will allow and you don't waste too much money on unrealistic drawings.

Two things though:

1) It's good to go for a little more than you want as if you are made to compromise with the planning department, you may find that you are compromising to what you actually want

2) Sometimes they will give a bad indication of whether you are likely to get permission or will throw out applications which should be approved. In this case, it is good to listen to your architect as he will have an idea of whether it should be approved.

eg. In my area, an application for building houses in what was a back garden was immediately rejected by the planning department. This decision was overturned on appeal by the Secretary of State because the Council had already approved a similar, bigger build on the same street; they had set the precedent so only had themselves to blame. Silly people

Either way, buying land without permission is a risk, so consider carefully.

redsquirrel_3

Im currently in the process of getting planning permission at the mo for a 3 bed chalet bungalow in my parents back garden, it seems to have taken ages though (pretty much since feb this year).

We were told to contact the local council and they sent round this (mean) woman who pretty much said there was pretty much no chance we would get it, due to the garden being too small (which it isnt).

We were not too sure what we were doing to be honest - we called several builders and they gave us prices for the build and they looked around the garden (basically told us yeah it was big enough to build on).

Anyway we managed to find a decent architect and he has submitted the plans - we should find out in about 1 week if we got it. I am a bit concerned of hearing rumors about the neighbours behind our house saying they dont want it (the house would back out onto the close behind).

We will appeal if it dont go through, our next door neighbour also got a self build on appeal so im hoping we will get it.

My only problem is that the driveway for the property needs to cross a "ransom strip" and we have been told £10,000. We only need to use about 2 foot of it, which i think is a rip off.. but ill wait and see regarding if we get planning persmision before getting into that.

nadnad

Hi Treacle,
you're right it is a very long process and the fact that you don't seem to know what exactly you want makes it all very difficult. If I could advise you at all I would say start looking at sites with outline planning permission - for someone who has little experience or knowledge this is probably the safest and easiest route. At least start looking around now - get in contact with estate agents and look on the net for sites in your area - at least then you'll get a feel for cost.

I don't know what your budget is but I'll give you a run down of our budget so far:

Land £40,000 (this is a one off deal -very very cheap as farmer needed v.quick sale we got 2 acres for this amount - mostly around here (NI) 1/2 acre goes for £65K upwards)
Build costs £85000 (dormer bungalow)
Architect £1500 (also very cheap as he is a friend and an architect technician not an architect so therefore cheaper)
Valuation fee and admin fees £600 (through Buildstore)
Solicitors fee £800
Site insurance £550 (compulsory)
Planning application £500 (for full planning not outline - that is already granted)
Septic Tank Application £300
Building control £200
Electricity Connection £1500
Water connection £1000
Kitchen £5000
Contingency £5000 (which is probably too small but there you go)

So in total over £140,000 and I'm sure it won't end there - also our build costs are a lot cheaper over here than in England - we've been quoted £45 per sq foot - I believe its more like £55 - £60 per sq foot over there - which could add another £28000 to your project depending on the size.

I'm not trying to frighten you but just to show you the cost of everything - a possibility to help you on your way is to get your site, do the groundwork, get water, electricity connected and put a mobile home on site until you are ready to start the next stage - we have thought seriously about this and haven't completely ruled it out yet - its either that or stay with my mum for 6 months! Its a very costly business, it takes a long time and if you're doing it on your own its requires soooo much dedication. Things like getting your plans right takes forever - I designed our house and drew scale drawings - I drew about 20 initially until I hit upon a design I liked - our architect said it was really good and flowed well but its still taken a further 7 or 8 attempts by him to get the exact specifications - positioned of ensuites, walkin wardrobes, windows, doors, size of porch etc - it all takes time and is not something you want to rush.

Anyway thats enough rambling for now I'll let you ponder the above and if you want any further info let me know!