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Whitechurch

Test imageStrategic Land

Land identification and assembly is critical to the successful outcome of any project.  Using our combined experience to identify the right opportunity is a significant part of the process.  Identifying and contacting land owners, expressing our proposals and securing a unanimous position are other critical elements to the success.  We are very experienced in our business sector, and we are committed to delivering results, but in an un-pressurised and consultative way.  We know that the “hard sell” approach doesn’t work.  We prefer to give you the facts and allow the proposition to speak for itself.  Potential sites often involve several land owners and a comprehensive approach to the promotion of such land is an important aspect from a planning perspective.  It is always the case, therefore, that each person’s involvement is as important as the next.

The UK planning system is complex and constantly evolving, and we have a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the latest position. We have the ability to spot opportunities for clients to further their interests by getting involved in plan and policy-making.
Our people are experienced in:

Depending upon the circumstances the objective may be, for example, to get a strategic site allocated for development; to secure a more liberal policy towards retailing; or to avoid too much land being released for development, to the detriment of existing owners and users.  Whatever the objective, we always aim to combine creativity, attention to detail and persistence, and to remain focused on what will maximise our client's advantage.

Our clients include plan makers as well as developers.  We have the ability to take on responsibility for producing whole planning policy documents; or, alternatively, to provide specialist survey work and analysis as an input into a planning authority’s evidence base and plan-making process.

Legal Work and Process

Once an agreement between land owners has been reached we issue the heads of terms.  Medium and long term legal land contracts, often with performance targets and financial overage positions, can become very complicated.  Quite frankly it can put people off.  Again our experience in negotiating complex property contracts for the past 12 years, for both buyers and sellers, is second to none.  We strip out the nonsense and have a reputation for explaining matters considerately, regardless of our clients’ experience, to ensure that everyone understands the facts and feels confident to make an informed decision.

Funding

Site promotion is expensive and can easily run into six figure sums with, of course, no guarantee of a return on that investment.  Our business has its own cash reserves but for larger projects and acquisitions we have a combination of Bank funding and private equity available.  Our business has grown organically and past successes and relationships as private residential developers has enabled us to expand into strategic land promotion and acquisition.

Master planning

We have built a close working relationship with a number of specialists to produce masterplans, including architects, landscape architects, sustainability experts and economic specialists. They share an ability to analyse, visualise and synthesise.

The art of placemaking has evolved considerably over recent years, and we have been at the forefront. We believe we possess the necessary creative skills, but our network of specialists have a wealth of practical information on the effectiveness of different approaches; we have a bespoke knowledge of what the market will accept across the UK. Our sustainability experts are able to advise on this increasingly important aspect.

Community Engagement

Community engagement is an increasingly important aspect of masterplanning: sometimes involving simple techniques (for example, meetings, surveys and exhibitions), other times being very sophisticated (for example, charettes and Enquiries by Design). We have the experience to manage these processes effectively.

Masterplan schemes are often large in scale, and our masterplanners work closely with our Environmental Impact Assessment team.

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement can take many different forms: from the simple to the very sophisticated depending on what is appropriate in a particular case, it is very important that it is planned and managed effectively. Positive support from the local community and other stakeholders can greatly improve the prospects of planning permission being granted; serious opposition can lead to disaster.
We understand the sensitivities and subtleties involved in engagement work, and are experienced in talking to people in straightforward terms.  We are very conscious that the more significant planning decisions are made by elected politicians, and so take relations with councillors, elected mayors and MPs very seriously.

Where more specialist expertise is required, we have close links with experts who specialise in understanding the politics of different localities and types of property.

Site Identification

We have conducted a comprehensive housing study of several areas.  The scope of the projects involve a review the council’s housing land capacity study and their ability to deliver their perceived land supply with a view to future growth. 

With consultants we have an independent review of the long term housing requirements across areas, and identified potential future growth points.  Identified sites have been assessed and evaluated against local plan policy.  Local infrastructure has been assessed to establish if development would be achievable for each location. 

We have developed a portfolio of short, medium and long term opportunities, with a view to either purchasing the sites, operating joint ventures or optioning sites for long term promotion.  Where development opportunities are feasible, land owners have been contacted and negotiations are being carried out by the Lightwood Property team.

Planning System

We believe that our unique approach to promoting sites, developing masterplans and gaining planning consent will be suited to the sweeping changes introduced by the coalition government under the Localism Bill.  The Bill, which has been presented to Parliament, will see the power to decide future housing and infrastructure projects switch from central government to communities and local authorities. 

The six areas of proposed change will provide a platform for local communities to have far more involvement in planning applications.  The abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) allows local authorities to scrap their proposed housing schemes.  As the proposed future housing zones were prepared as a result of the RSS and have significant opposition, we believe it is the ideal time to bring forward new opportunities that embrace the concept of the Bill and plan for sustainable development.  Lightwood Property believe the current shift in the planning process presents an exciting opportunity within the area, which has yet to identify its long term housing land supply.
The challenge facing the area is to demonstrate that the strategic plans identified for future growth will provide sustainable communities.