Most people assume that the bigger the house, the more it will sell for and many architects and owners head down the route of trying to get a huge house on small plot under the false pretence that they will make more money. This is completely untrue.
Simply put, profit is the selling price less the build cost, less the land value. It thus follows that if you can maximise the selling price and minimise build cost at that sale price then the land value will be higher.
The issue arises because the selling price is not linearly proportionate to the property size (most people make this mistake) but the build cost is more; therefore there needs to be analysis of what build produces the highest ratio and this means that the highest selling property is not necessarily the one to build.
Unfortunately, we see too many planning applications that have been nothing more than wishful thinking. Often £10,000 to £20,000 has been spent on applications that were not even within policy to start with.
We are motivated purely by you getting consent; hopefully so that we have a plot or a new house to sell. Investing a few hundred pounds now in pre-planning advice could literally make or save you tens of thousands.
This is the most common type of application and also where most money is wasted. There are two key elements in the decision process.
1) Is there a net capital gain by selling off the garden taking into consideration the devaluation of the existing property. To answer properly can be quite complex.
2) Can planning permission actually be gained for a dwelling that does not conflict with (1) bearing in mind, (1) is in part dependant on (2) and (2) is dependant on (1) [in circular reference with]
This type of planning application has become a little less common recently as the majority of properties have already been developed and the cost of a single dwelling with a large plot escalates as bidders strive to build a large single family home instead. In addition, many rural areas will have a one-for-one replacement policy and lower density.
If it still appears viable we need to assess density / massing, design, access and “in keeping” with the surroundings. For instance it will be unlikely that you will get consent for a house in a street of bungalows or a block of flats amongst houses outside of the town.
There are instances where barns, stables, agricultural buildings and former grain stores can be converted to residential dwellings under the General Permitted Development Order 2015 or it's successor. There is a wealth of rules relating to this that require careful interpretation along with strict limitations
General Permitted Development Order 2015 (or it's successor) provides for conversion of offices to residential with conditions. The conditions can be complex along with the mix of properties to maximise return.
Change of use applications apply to buildings as diverse as pubs to business parks. In order for these to be successful there has to be a strategy in place to demonstrate the need and loss of amenity, else the application will be denied.
