HOW TO FIND A PLOT

IPART FOUR: UNDERSTANDING POLICY AND LAND DESIGNATIONS

In the fifth part of his series, Mark Stevenson details how land designations impact your chances of getting planning permission

o the untrained eye, finding a building plot doesn’t seem that hard. After all, there are endless fields and paddocks that look like ideal spots. However, finding a plot that stands a chance of securing a planning consent is another matter.

Whether we agree with it or not, much of Britain is made undevelopable by planning policies imposed by our government. Taking South Cambridgeshire as an example, only 6% of its land mass is built on; much of the rest is being used as farmland and therefore unsuitable for development from a policy perspective. While there are good reasons to prevent houses being built in the open countryside, this doesn’t change the fact that planning policy severely restricts the supply of developable land.

The devil is in the details, especially when it comes to the policies that play a critical role in determining whether a piece of land is a viable building plot

TTo be able to sort the dead ends from the hot prospects, plot hunters must understand those nuances of planning policy that relate to the question of what land can be developed. In this article, I’ll outline the key policies in this area and explain how they should inform your search for a building plot.

Policy documents to look for

The planning policy landscape is shaped by a host of documents that professionals use to administer the system. As a self-builder it’s not practicable to try to understand all the information these documents contain.

Although national policies have a legal standing, their interpretation at a regional level will be rooted in precedent and case law. Local planning authorities (LPAS)

therefore have their own overlapping policies within their development plans. This means that while an appreciation of planning policy is useful, it’s a good idea to get help from a professional to determine which policies apply to a prospective selfbuild plot.

In broad terms, planning policies fall into two categories: those that allow land to be developed and those that deal with what can or can’t be built. Policies in the latter category are often referred to as ‘material considerations’, and for anyone wanting to build their own home these will be the primary concern. However, when it comes to plot hunting, finding land that can be built on at all should be your initial focus. It’s not possible to dissect all the nuances of national planning policies within a single article, so here we will limit ourselves to outlining the policy cornerstones of your search: land designations.

Planning policy land designations

The chances of securing planning consent to build on a site depend upon its designation. It therefore stands to reason that self-builders must figure out what designations are at play within their search area. By doing so, they’ll be able to narrow

their search to locations that are likely to yield success. The table on the opposite page sets out the key land designations, along with the ‘plot prospects’ they suggest. The most important of these are explained in further detail below.

Settlement boundaries

Most settlements in the UK are surrounded by a theoretical boundary that defines their limits and crystallises the chances of winning planning consent on either side of the divide.

Land within settlement boundaries is generally viewed by LPAS as developable, with a few exceptions such as protected open spaces and employment land.this is where you’ll find opportunities such as garden plots and infill developments. Provided your proposals fit in with the urban context, securing planning consent for such plots should be straightforward.

Land outside of settlement boundaries is defined as ‘open countryside’, and generally cannot be developed without a cast-iron justification. Such justification could take the form of meeting a local housing need, replacing an existing dwelling, or reusing brownfield land.

A quirk of planning policy is that some settlement boundaries run through urbanised areas, meaning that ‘open countryside’ isn’t always open countryside. As you’d expect, houses inside the boundary are within the settlement, but houses outside, reside – in policy terms – within open countryside even though it looks like an urban area.

Land outside of the settlement boundary seems plentiful, but from a self-build point of view, the odds of building a house there are slim. LPAS will seek to prevent encroachment into the open countryside, even if it’s already full of houses. You may wonder how large developers get approval for new housing estates outside settlement boundaries.these consents are often won by arguing that they meet local housing need; their scale is exactly why they’re approved. Unfortunately, a single selfbuild on previously undeveloped land is not considered a significant contribution to the supply of housing and will typically be refused unless it’s of exceptional architectural merit — more on that another day.

Flood risk

All planning applications, no matter where they are located, are assessed for flooding risk. The Environment Agency is a standard consultee in the planning process and may object to any proposal where floods are a possibility. Ordinarily, their objections are removed once a flood risk assessment has been completed and proposals submitted to mitigate the risk. If the assessment identifies a high flooding risk (level 3), the relevant LPA may seek to implement what’s known as a sequential test. This asks whether there are less risky locations that could meet the area’s housing

Whether we agree with it or not, much of Britain is made undevelopable by planning policies imposed by our government

needs, so if you find, say, a garden plot within a settlement boundary that’s ideal for development but subject to flooding risk, the LPA may refuse permission on the basis that it’s better to build elsewhere.

Conservation areas

Contrary to popular belief, conservation areas are good places to find fantastic plots. They offer beautiful street scenes, often well within settlement boundaries. While they may still be affected by issues such as flood risk, the fact that they’re established residential areas means their development is usually supported provided that the proposed work will not cause harm. Proposals for development within conservation areas must improve or enhance their location, and planning officers may have strong opinions about what this means. Many plot buyers fear this unknown quantity, but don’t let it put you off. It’s possible to find a good plot in a conservation area, you just need to be ready for some back-and-forth on the design front and be willing to accept a reasonable compromise.

Brownfield land

Many think of brownfield land as disused and contaminated, but the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) applies the term more broadly, defining it as: ‘land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land’.

Brownfield land can offer great plot prospects if you apply for a change of use, but there are a few caveats. Land occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings is excluded, as are parks, recreation grounds and allotments. One exclusion to watch out for especially is ‘land that was previously developed, but where the remains of the permanent structure have blended into the landscape in the process of time.’ Buildings like this might look like a great replacement plots, but in policy terms they’ve lost their residential status. My advice is to steer well clear.

When it comes to finding a building plot, understanding land designations from a planning policy point of view offers a great start. Now that you know what to look for, the next logical question concerns where to look. Watch this space.

Next month:

I reveal my ultimate plot finding top tips!