Self-build
More than half of the UK’s home buyers say they would love to build their own home but the lack of consented land with infrastructure and services is, by a considerable margin, the single biggest constraint to achieving this.
Michael Holmes of NaCSBA talking about custom & self build at a recent Landform planning day
Landform is pioneering the delivery of self and custom build homes.
Landowners benefit because planning consent should be easier to obtain and the wider sales market and scarcity results in higher land values.
Home buyers benefit because they have access to individually designed homes as well as help with the more difficult technical and legal aspects of self-build.
The local community benefits because, instead of look-a-like housing developments, self-build improves the quality and diversity of housing schemes.
Landform has introduced self and custom build plots into a number of its developments to date and is actively looking to promote further schemes with higher levels of self-build plots.
Download the Norwich Self-build design code (PDF 8MB)
“Landform has successfully incorporated self-build plots into many of their projects to date and have a number of further ambitious self-build projects in the pipeline.”
Chairman of the National Custom & Self Build Association
Landowner’s guide
Your land is a precious commodity. Make sure you enter the most appropriate form of agreement to realise its maximum value.
1. Work with a partner who has an incentive to maximise your land value
Entering into a Promotion Agreement with Landform over a more traditional Option Agreement will allow you to make more money from your land. This is because Landform is only paid a percentage of the land value when it is sold, so Landform has an incentive to maximise the sale value and reduce costs.
2. Receive a premium fee at the outset
You will be paid a premium fee on entering the contract. Landform will pay for all your associated legal and surveyor fees of entering the contract.
3. What role does Landform perform?
Landform appoints, pays for and manages a professional team of specialist consultants with a successful track record in delivering planning consents. Landform coordinates this team to deal with all technical, legal, commercial and town planning aspects of the project.
4. Offer your consented land to the open market to get the highest price
At the point of securing planning permission, your consented land will always be taken to the open market to obtain the highest bid. Landform shares the objective of the landowner to maximise the land sales receipts and keep costs to a minimum.
5. Expect a 5 year + agreement
You should expect that the length of each agreement will vary to match the anticipated planning program of each project with a right to extend in the event of planning delay. Typically, Landform focuses on opportunities that require between 2 and 5 years to obtain consent.
6. What does Landform receive?
Landform receives its project costs back first and will receive an agreed share of the net sales proceeds. The division between Landform and you, the landowner, will vary depending on the level of planning risk associated with the project and the length of time needed to secure planning consent.
7. Why enter a Promotion Agreement rather than an Option?
Option Agreements are generally made with house builders whose interest is cheap land. At the receipt of planning consent a house builder will, therefore, try to reduce the land value and increase allowable costs, resulting in you making less money.
A Promotion Agreement is an alignment of interests between you and Landform. It represents a working partnership throughout the project, with a shared interest in securing the highest price for your land.