Do Government Policies Make Now a Good Time to Sell Land?

lan Barnett, National Land Director, Leaders Romans Group (LRG) looks at recent planning developments

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Deciding whether to sell land is always an individual decision, impacted by a range of personal and external factors. Additionally, land value is determined by planning status and generally land with planning consent can be worth many more times the value of land without. The timeframes for achieving planning permission are typically lengthy, but emerging changes to the planning system are set to increase the likelihood of gaining planning consent in many circumstances and therefore now could be the best time to consider developing your land or partnering with a developer.

CHANGING APPROACHES TO PLANNING

From a planning perspective, the fi nal years of the previous administration were characterised by uncertainty – housing targets abandoned, local authorities resisting Green Belt release and planning applications stalled at the fi nal hurdle due to concerns about ‘beauty’.

The new government was quick to deliver on its commitment to increase housing development, revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for consultation just weeks after taking offi ce and promising a Planning and Infrastructure Bill early in the New Year.

A NEW NPPF