Land Investment Opportunity
Land with residential planning permission can be worth multiple times the value of land without residential planning
There is a huge demand for land with full planning permission
for residential development
There is now an opportunity to generate wealth through buying land and obtaining planning permission for
residential development
The government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes to be constructed by 2029. In order to achieve this ambitious level of housebuilding they have announced a number of proposals and commitments to include;
- Reforming England’s planning laws to make it easier and faster to approve new housing developments.
- Simplifying local planning procedures
- At the Spending Review in June, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) over 10 years from 2026‑27 to 2035‑36
- Reintroducing mandatory housing targets for local planning authorities via the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and associated reforms.
- Releasing more land for development, including brownfield and some greenfield areas including the Reallocation of large swathes of greenbelt land to a “greybelt” category thus enabling planning permission on sites previously undevelopable.
As part of planning system reforms, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that house-building will rise to around 305,000 homes per year by 2029‑30, representing the highest level in over 40 years.
A new publicly-backed “National Housing Bank” has been announced, with £16 billion in public investment, on top of £6 billion existing finance, aiming to help deliver over 500,000 new homes (by unlocking further private investment of £53 billion).
The investment summary
The model involves purchasing land without residential planning and significantly increasing the value by securing full planning permission for residential development. The land is sold to a developer for maximum profit.
- We identify a site with strong potential for residential development and carry out a full planning feasibility and financial assessment of the scheme
- We produce an investment proposal and present to investor
- Investor gives their approval and we enter into a joint venture arrangement with investor. We buy the site on behalf of investor. The investor owns the site outright
- We proceed to obtain planning permission for the site. Dealing with all processes, consultants, Local authorities, surveyors, architects, etc
- Once the site receives full planning approval, we sell the site for the maximum price in the fastest possible time. Upon sale of the land, the investor receives their investment in full plus 50% of profits achieved. We receive the remaining 50% of profits
Key benefits
Secure investment - Investor owns the site from day 1
The site will be purchased and retained by the investor throughout the process. The site can be owned personally or through a Limited company according to the investor’s preference. Land is an increasingly valuable commodity which historically increases in value and is easy to trade. By obtaining planning permission, the value of the land will increase significantly
Very high potential returns
Realistic and demonstrable returns on investment of between 15% and 35% per deal
Huge demand for residential development sites with full planning permission
Most small and medium sized developers cannot afford to buy sites without planning permission and wait until planning permission has been granted. Most lenders will only offer development finance on sites with full planning permission in place.
Clear exit strategy
We have a huge database of residential developers seeking development opportunities with planning permission. We actively pursue sites which match the requirement criteria of developers in our database. We will often sell sites to developers subject to planning permission so that the sale completion can occur almost immediately after planning is granted.
Abundant supply of ongoing deals
The scope of sites with potential for planning has massively increased with the government’s target of 1.5m new homes in the next 5 years. Local authorities are now under significant pressure to grant planning on sites where previously they would have refused. The government has recently downgraded swathes of greenbelt land to “greybelt” land which is far more likely to be approved for residential development.
Experienced team
Selecting the best consultants, architects, etc is key to achieving a successful planning outcome. We have collectively been involved in the planning process for over 50 years. It can be complicated and frustrating, however our team know exactly how to create a compelling case to ensure maximum chances of a successful outcome. We have a thorough understanding of how the planning system works, the level of information required, the arguments to use and the professional contacts to ensure that every application has the very best chance of success.
Current opportunities
Glossop, Derbyshire
Existing site previously old mill buildings which have now been demolished and clear with current planning permission to build 2nr new office buildings
The plan
We intend on obtaining a new planning permission to construct 24 nr apartments on site. The footprint of the apartment blocks will match the footprint for the current planning permission for office blocks
| Financial summary | (£) |
| Cost of site (current value) | 200,000 |
| Total cost of obtaining planning permission | 85,000 |
| Total expenditure | 285,000 |
| Value of site (with planning for 24 apartments) | 420,000 |
| Gross profit | 135,000 |
| Profit for investor 50% | 67,500 |
| Return on investment | 24% |
Normoss Road, Normoss
Site with lapsed planning permission to construct 21 new homes in place of old agricultural farm buildings which have been demolished and cleared.
The plan
We intend on obtaining a new planning permission to construct 38nr new affordable homes on site. The site will be sold to a Registered social housing provider or low cost housing developer.
| Financial summary | (£) |
| Cost of site (current value) | 300,000 |
| Total cost of obtaining planning permission | 104,000 |
| Total expenditure | 404,000 |
| Value of site (with planning for 24 apartments) | 570,000 |
| Gross profit | 166,000 |
| Profit for investor 50% | 83,000 |
| Return on investment | 20.5% |