Perry Bishop’s New Homes Department, working in partnership with our dedicated Land and Development service, offers an exceptional ‘conception to delivery’ service for local, regional and national developers building homes in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

Enjoy confidential and professional advice on plots, development sites and buildings for conversion. Our experienced Land and Development Team offer a comprehensive marketing service, including advice on planning, for land owners and developers across the South West.

Perry Bishop’s specialist New Homes department is renowned for selling a wide range of beautiful, new build homes across Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Speak to our knowledgeable team to sell your New Homes for you.

Of late developers such as Housing Associations and build to rent are becoming ever more competitive in their search for land alongside some of the larger house builders. Over the second quarter of 2022 we have seen numerous bids per site at some eye watering levels as bidders have less sites to go for.

As major housebuilders become even more aggressive in the land market they are looking for not only immediate but strategic sites to maintain their land pipelines. With a remit of medium growth targets the security being sought range from 4-6 years of supply.

Many smaller regional developer clients are having to compete with such cash rich competitors who are also able to squeeze margins accordingly. With a history of strong and high sales rates this also adds to their confidence when bidding.

This has resulted in a land market that in general remains robust, particularly for the best sites. There are areas of weakness in some parts of the market. In some cases, typically for complicated sites, parties are now renegotiating land deals and some have fallen through which means the under bidder sometimes gets a second bite of the cherry.

With all developers undertaking extensive viability/feasibility studies especially where build cost expectations have risen dramatically. Businesses, especially contractors, are struggling with rising costs.

In summary, there still remains a general shortage of land whether these be small, medium or large sites for residential development relative to demand that is fuelling competition.

Helene Joel - July 2022

If you intend to use a field only as grazing land for horses it is likely it would be regarded as an agricultural use and planning permission will not normally be required. However, the horses must only be on the land for the primary purpose of grazing. If the horses are given supplemental feed and kept in the field for exercise and provided shelter then the predominant use of the land is not regarded as agricultural and planning permission would normally be required.

You may not need planning permission for a stable if it is erected within the curtilage / garden of your house and it is used for personal use only, subject to its location and size etc. If you proposed to have a stable in an adjoining paddock then planning permission would be required. Factors the local Council will consider if planning permission is required will include the size of the building, its visual impact, whether it has an impact on any neighbouring properties and whether it is a personal or commercial use.

National planning policies normally seek to avoid the development of isolated homes in more rural areas but one of the exceptions to this general rule is where a development would re-use a redundant or disused buildings and enhance its immediate setting. So if your stables are disused, it may be possible to convert them to housing, subject to a number of other considerations. Local planning polices do vary from area to area and often it will be necessary to demonstrate the stables are indeed capable of conversion to housing from a structural point of view. Interestingly, as equestrian use is excluded from the definition of agriculture, it then follows it would also constitute ‘previously developed’ or ‘brownfield’ land. This can be an advantage if the buildings are located in the green belt as national policy does in general support the principle of redeveloping brownfield land in the green belt for other uses, including housing, subject to certain criteria.

If you need and planning assistance with a project, please do not hesitate to contact us on:

www.sfplanning.co.uk - Cheltenham - 01242 231575 - Gloucester – 01452 527997 - London - 020 3763 8005