A Guide to Site Finding

Session 1: What’s Wanted and Knowing What you are Looking For

• Searching from your desk – what’s your strategy?
  • What to consider before searching
  • How to start
  • What to look for
  • What tools to use
  • Checking land registry data
  • Checking titles and using comparable data
• Searching in the field:
  • What has changed with what consequences for how we identify sites that ‘work’
  • Appraisals – from back of the envelope to feasibility studies
  • Analysing comparables
  • Identifying occupiers and owners
• Case studies:
  • Map search
  • Planning strategies
  • Planning history on property
  • Balancing planning objectives with commercial viability
• Recognising site potential:
  • How residential need is determined and the affordable housing requirements
  • Commercial property space conversion including the expanding mixed-use development
  • The effect of the duty to cooperate
  • Brown field vs Green Belt – identifying brown field opportunities that meet commercial viability criteria
  • Duty of care and due diligence
• Working with relevant planning and other public bodies seeking common ground

Chair: Dan Mitchell, Planning Partner, Barton Willmore
Speaker: Simon Wainwright, Managing Director, JPW Real Estate
 

Session 2: Understanding Planning Process – What can be Developed Depends on Planning Regulation

• When is planning permission required?
• What you want to build – is it/will it be permitted?
• Permitted development rights
• Latest planning policy – a look at salient crucial planning policy which underpins what can or cannot be developed:
  • Local and national policy
  • Key topics – housing needs etc
  • Planning reforms – use classes, permitted development rights, White Paper
• Understanding the planning process:
  • Pre-application stage
  • Application stage
  • Post-determination stage
  • Appeals
• Understanding the costs of planning:
  • Local authority fees
  • Consultant fees
  • Planning obligations
  • CIL and s106
  • Appeals

Chair: Dan Mitchell, Planning Partner, Barton Willmore
Speaker: Aimee Squires, Associate Director, Planning, Savills
 

Session 3: What Developers Look For

• What options do you have with the site – what can you build commercially
• Extracting maximum value:
  • Looking at alternative schemes
  • Re-purposing existing property
  • Looking at ‘innovative’ site options
  • Optimising site ‘in situ’ 
• Sorting out the financials
• Determining pros and cons of proposed development

Chair: Dan Mitchell, Planning Partner, Barton Willmore
Speaker: James Brierley, Partner, Planning and Development Team, Gerald Eve LLP
 

Session 4: Options, Conditional Agreements and Promotion Agreements – When and Why?

This session will examine key commercial differences between these very similar types of arrangements. This highly practical and detailed session will offer tips and highlight the traps so often associated with the negotiation and operation of these complex arrangements.

Chair: Dan Mitchell, Planning Partner, Barton Willmore
Speaker: Darren Debock, Senior Associate, Real Estate, Dentons UK and Middle East LLP