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Strategic Land and Planning Advisory

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Strategic Land and Planning Advisory

Our key goals are to help our clients (which include developers, land promoters and land owners) to navigate the land promotion and planning process successfully and to maximise their returns. Strategic land or development and strategic planning are intertwined in achieving these aims. All sites, regions and strategies are different and together with our strong project management and development consultancy team, we aim to help execute a deliverable proactive strategy which achieves the aim of delivering development in an efficient and enhanced manner.

Strategic land promotion of greenfield land mostly requires a land owner and a developer or strategic land promoter to enter into an agreement (promotion, hybrid promotion or option). The most used agreements are the promotion and option agreement.

Promotion agreements are popular with land promoters as it ensures their interests are aligned with those of the landowner in achieving best value for the site, given the site will be offered to the open market with the benefit of planning permission at the appropriate time. The promoter takes on the full risk of promoting the site and only when the site achieves a planning permission, is it then sold in the open market. The promoter will seek a return on their costs and a percentage of market value, being representative of the risk taken in the promotion.

Option agreements are similar but provide the housebuilder with the option to acquire the site if a satisfactory planning permission is obtained following the valuation process. The option agreement is more complex than the promotion, as a series of notices must be served by the housebuilder before the purchase price is determined. There is usually a complex negotiation process involved to determine the purchase price, as all development, infrastructure and Section 106 costs must be determined as part of the market value calculation of the land.

The obligations and timescales within either a promotion or option are critical to ensure clients have the opportunity of maximising their commercial terms in a reasonable period.

It is our role to either act for a developer/land promoter to formulate an offer to landowners and their representatives or to work directly for landowners and guide them through this process. This will involve working with both parties’ legal advisors.

Our core services include:

Strategic land identification and studies.
Working closely with landowners, developers and land promoters to secure landowner agreements (promotion, option or hybrid promotion).
Planning appraisals, due diligence, site-specific planning strategies and strategic planning advisory services.
Project management of the planning promotion process, working closely with the client, landowners and their agents.
Liaising with Local Authority teams, statutory consultees and the community to help inform and support the planning application process.
Making Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan representations.
Preparing pre-application submissions.
Managing planning applications and appeals.
Advising on Section 106.
General planning advice.

Our team is small and very interconnected in all that we do.

What some of our clients say

Stourport Road, Bewdley, Worcestershire

Hawksmoor and Brian Egerton’s high standards of land agency services and approach to project management have been professional and diligent throughout. The land promotion was locally sensitive, and the approach was one of respectful recognition of local stakeholders balanced with achieving the planning consent successfully overlaid time wise, with cabinet approval for the site being removed from the Green Belt. The ambition, energy, and enthusiasm necessary to maintain this through a lengthy process is commendable, alongside Brian’s abundant careful consideration of all technical and financial details.

The agricultural land adjoining Bewdley was located within the protected West Midlands Green Belt, created following the introduction of the 1947 Planning Act and reinforced by the 1980’s Wyre Forest Urban Areas Local Plan.

EPIL instructed Hawksmoor at the project outset, to undertake pre-purchase due diligence and direct the site’s promotion into the Wyre Forest District Council’s adopted Local Plan 2016 – 2032 for housing, in opposition to competing parcels of land proposed for development.

Hawksmoor co-ordinated the client’s team members, project managing the site’s removal from its Green Belt designation, the assembly of co-ordinated planning application documents, the securing of Wyre Forest Council’s housing allocation for up to 100 dwellings and negotiating Section 106 Agreement commercial terms. After successfully resolving River Severn flood risk matters and the grant of planning permission, Hawksmoor undertook joint marketing, thereby successfully delivering an efficient unconditional sale to a regional housebuilder

Mark Hackett - Development Director, Euro Property Investments Limited

Local Plan Promotions - North Warwickshire

We’ve worked with Hawksmoor on the Local Plan promotion of several sites in North Warwickshire and have always found them to be knowledgeable and straightforward to deal with. Their understanding of Local Plan promotion and their approach to engaging with the local authority has been a real help throughout the process.

Rob Andrews - Head of Development - Warwickshire Property Development Ltd (Part of Warwickshire Property & Development Group)