How to find land for self-build
There’s an ongoing land shortage in the UK, which is making developers like us spend an inordinate amount of time searching for suitable building plots. There are many reasons this is happening. But in protecting our countryside and heritage, are we stifling development and the construction sector? In the second part of our series on the shortage of land, we look at the reasons behind why land is so hard to find and the elements, legislation and restrictions that need to change to free up the market one again.
Driving the market for land development
One of the key factors is the simple fact that a great many of the prime plots of land have already been developed over the years. There was a boom that began in the 1960s and ran through to the 1980s that saw many people buy land or old property in villages and small towns, and develop them. The first housing price boom in the 1980s slowed the market – and the ability of landowners and developers to make a profit on such developments slowed. But over time, even with the huge rises in land and property prices since the 1990s, developers have continued to prosper, as demand drives the market.
Saturation point for rural market?
Conservation and heritage remain important watchwords and rural development is still closely scrutinised by local authorities. This in itself in the past has been blamed for a lack of development potential in rural areas. The unlocking of these restrictions are seen as major factors in land shortages. However, property and land costs now are such – especially in a garden county like Cheshire – that many developers and owners are priced out of the market. It is no longer affordable for many to think about country living and many spots in villages have already been upgraded, and derelict property demolished, to make way for new-builds. We could be reaching a saturation point in this regard.
Land for building is a valuable commodity
There’s also the challenge of a glut landowners sitting on land that could be developed, but are not freeing it up for building. Land, like houses, is of course a valuable commodity and so-called Land Banking is a fact of the market. What is needed is an incentive, or levy, to ensure land that is owned is developed within a certain timescale. We are finding all these are factors in making it hard for our clients’ self-build dream to be realised.
Sea change and adapt land for building
In the last few years, changes to legislation such as Neighbourhood Plans is altering the shape of the English countryside too. Boundaries have moved, village parameters are greater, and developers are being allowed to build, build and build in villages and small towns as they never have before. This unprecedented sea change is a direct response to the need for more houses. Demand is high for these properties, which are quickly filled. What also needs to be addressed is ensuring infrastructure – often the last thought in government legislation – keeps pace with development. This means adequate and well-maintained roads and services, local amenities, things to do, places to go.
Housebuilders rely on a healthy flow of plots to be developed to thrive. If this is stifled, by a perfect storm of a number of factors, then the construction market will eventually stall. At the moment, approved planning permissions are down since 2019 and momentum is being lost. There’s less homes being build and this is partly due to the lack of available land – we hope this will soon be acknowledged as a problem, to be addressed by the present government.
If you have always dreamed of finding some land for building and building your own home, talk to us to find out how we can help with our complete turn key self-build package.
