One of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks in development is finding suitable land. In the UK, development opportunities do not tend to come through a single marketplace. They can often be found through planning, private sector sales, and public data sources.

For anyone interested in learning about how land is found, it is important to be aware of where professional developers look, as each of these sources has its own advantages and disadvantages.

This article will outline five of the most popular methods of finding development land in the UK.

Monitoring Planning Applications

An effective way of spotting potential opportunities is by monitoring planning applications submitted to local authorities. Planning portals provide early visibility of areas that could be moving towards development, and areas that might have been refused but could be revisited in the future.

The Planning Portal allows users to search for planning applications for the whole of England, although there is more detailed information available on individual council websites for local areas.

Monitoring planning applications can help to spot:

• • Landowners who are working out the potential of their land
  • Sites with a planning history that could be revisited
  • Sites where local authorities are actively promoting development

Whilst this method requires consistency and a good knowledge of local planning policies, however it also gives an earlier insight to the potential development land

Land & Property Auctions

Auctions are still an important method for selling development land. Some development land is sold through auctions because of its complexity, such as uncertainties surrounding planning, or because of the need for speed on the part of the seller.

Auctions can offer access to:

• • Previously developed land
  • Land with existing planning permission
  • Land with unknown planning potential

However, there are considerations to be taken into account for land purchased through auctions, such as attention to the legal packs and planning context.

Land Registry and Title Data Research

Ownership and transaction history can be researched through the HM Land Registry. This information enables the developer to gain knowledge on who owns the land, how long they have owned it, and in some cases, how it has been used.

Information on titles can be used to identify:

• • Land that has been owned for long and may be for sale

  • Strategic land owned by promoters or investors

  • Any constraints on the boundaries that may affect the site

Researching the Land Registry does not provide information on the development potential, but it contributes to the overall site investigation.

Direct Landowner Engagement

Many development sites never reach public markets. Instead, developers identify land and approach owners directly. This approach is common for land on the edge of a settlement or for land that is aligned to future Local Plan growth areas.

The key elements of this approach are:

• • Local market knowledge

  • Policy research

  • Long-term relationship building

This approach can be a slow process, but it can result in access to opportunities that are not advertised.

Specialist Land Platforms and Research-Led Sourcing

Some organisations carry out a combination of planning research, market analysis, and site assessment to find land with realistic development potential.

London Acreage, for example, focuses on site analysis, constraints, and development trends before identifying potential opportunities. This is a research-based approach to site sourcing, which helps to remove any speculation.

The Multiple sourcing method

However, most experienced developers tend to use a combination of sourcing methods. For example, planning data may show potential opportunities, auctions may offer access to available land, and direct engagement may offer off-market land.

The most effective way to find land for development is through consistent research, with a clear understanding of planning policy.

Conclusion

The process of finding development opportunities in the UK is mostly a research process. There are several ways in which development opportunities are identified, these include planning information, ownership research,  market and local information. Building up understanding of these sources of information will help inform the process of identifying development opportunities.

Future articles will discuss the process of assessing development opportunities, including planning risks, constraints and development viability.