Land and Planning

Acquiring land

Our Strategic Land and Planning department identifies, and contractually secures, land which has the potential to fulfil future housing needs.

Open partnerships

By adopting an open partnership approach to negotiations and contracts with landowners, we’re able to work together and share both the risks and rewards of development.
Site team member smiling

Flexible land agreements

Our Land teams work closely with landowners and their agents throughout negotiations for land agreements.

This may take the form of freehold purchase, an option agreement, a joint venture, or a hybrid agreement. Legal professionals are often involved at this stage.

New homes at Half Penny Meadows
We continue to communicate and work closely with the landowner, local community and local authority throughout the development process.

Contract options

Land agreements can take the form of a conventional freehold purchase, where we buy the land outright, or an option agreement where we invest the time and cost of promoting the site through the planning process then, when approved, purchase the land at a discount to the open market value.

Alternative agreements

We can agree to a joint venture, where we partner with one or more parties, including the landowner to develop a site, or a hybrid agreement which is similar to an option agreement, but once planning status has been secured a portion of the site is sold outright to another developer.

Site manager smiling

Exercising the land agreement

Once the site has achieved positive planning status, our Land Teams will manage the purchase process and work with our Technical Departments through the next stage of the planning such as detailed design and discharge of reserve matters, planning conditions and technical approvals to ensure deliverability.