Approaches from Developers

[8ob]

The core of the issue is that we've not built enough housing since the late 60's, and with people living longer that means you need more housing still. Right to Buy should have never been allowed under the conditions it was implemented with, but that was a bribe.

Then there is the golf course issue, where more of a county can be covered by golf courses than housing https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/how-much-surreys-land-taken-13390385

I have mixed feelings on the right to buy, from a councils perspective it released them from many years of costly maintenance and put money in their coffers which they threw at housing associations, that again supplied new homes without the maintainable liability. Where it goes wrong is the eligibility for the great unwashed to be housed. They would never meet housing associations criteria and end up in rented accommodation or hotels at the local councils expense, in years gone by they were thrown into a rough old council estate with others of the same ilk.
Also very strange how an area considered rough suddenly gets a lift once home ownership comes into play, there was a road in Aldershot which was all council houses, dead cars all over the place, fences and gates hanging off, broken windows. You should see it now the houses are owned, looks like Brookside

Bob

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

"everyone needs a home"...the developers mantra...I hear that a lot where I live...sadly in London a lot of developments are simply investment properties being bought up from abroad.

Where I live the towers are being thrown up on a daily basis. A quick look at private houses for sale shows there is a mass exodus under!

 

[tigdlo]

I have mixed feelings on the right to buy

I get the saving money for the council part but if housing associations can run non profit then so could the council. Having worked with the council I can imagine much of the cost is employing F wits, paying their pensions, dealing with petty complaints amongst staff. Many of the right to buys were used it as an oportunity for quick profit, sell the house for double after a few years or rent it out and use the rent to pay a mortgage on a second home, again increasing housing costs.

 

[tigdlo]

investment properties being bought up from abroad

Was thinking about mentioning that myself, but I think it is a problem we have created, if there wasn't so much profit in it, then it wouldn't attract these investors.

Too many houses being built to rent or for part ownership keeping private companies and individuals profiting and in control of a basic human necessity doesn't make moral sense to me.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Local pub has been knocked down...what they do is sit on the plot and keep applying for additional floors.

2 bed flat will be around £500k...so basically unaffordable for the average local. Some of the flats being built I've heard aren't even marketed for sale in the UK.

My local car place has gone....as has the local Wickes...time to get out myself I think!

 

[armalites]

We get letters fairly regularly, from reading the letters and how vague they are they are

A: Just sending generic letters to hundreds of people
B: Don't want to let on which bit of land they are talking about

I get people all the time suggesting I should sell some land, I always point out that I live in the countryside to be away from area where there are loads of people so why would I want 30 new families living in my back garden. It's generally people who live with hundreds/thousands of people around them that think it would be a good idea.

I don't specifically need the money now but the land is alwasy there if I need it.

 

[armalites]

i am thinking social media maybe a better way

Personally I think that will annoy even more people, the only gain is that it won't be the delevoper annoying people it will be their friends who keep sharing the links.

 

[Snowy90]

Planning is a contentious issue, us old gits are living longer and want to remain where we are, kids are all growing up and needing housing and there are thousands a month being washed up on our shores also seeking shelter. Something has to give and you cant keep increasing the density of inner city housing, that only leaves urban sprawl onto the greenbelt. Every man and his dog turn nimby when it comes to planning so nothing happens for years, councils end up falling way short of new housing targets so the big boys come bowling in and build a town next to a town, normally winning it on appeal because the council have failed to provide. If the councils all did their bit instead of pushing it down the road this wouldnt happen, I have always thought the extra housing should be evenly distributed around every town/village.

Bob

Your not wrong, the system of councils planning where development goes knows as the 5 year land supply is a sound policy, it gives developers and land owners the opportunity to put their land forward for future development and the council decides through rigorous process where its best placed. All sounds good! untill the council takes 2-3 years to approve plans then suddenly they cant meet their housing targets and are wide open for windfall sites and the appeals process.

I think it was princes Anne that suggested every village town in the UK should allocate a site for 8 houses in a year or two they would have met demand

 

[Gareth J]

Become a disruptor? Everyone hates estate agents and figures they do slim to nothing, certainly little more than an average person with a smartphone and basic English could manage themselves, for vast sums. Purple Bricks comes along to shake the market up.

You could try similar; a new business model based on fairness, disincentivising land banking, incentivising affordable, passivehaus homes and rescuing unwanted puppies.

 

[Snowy90]

As a lad l was always told that land developers were the drop outs who failed the personality test to become an undertaker, and that I should work hard at school to make sure I didn’t land up the same. Does that mean my Dad thought I didn’t have the personality to be an undertaker? I wonder….

That's hilarious, I have to say its been a great profession, you get to meet lots of interesting characters and over the years create some great spaces and developments, that said i generally have worked for middle to high end developers who want to create good environments and spaces for home owners rather than the build em small and pack em in brigade.

 

[Snowy90]

My family home has a large plot. It’s a Victorian house which we own 5 gardens across, also right near London. We’ve had multiple attempts with developers but on different occasions it is always one neighbour being greedy, which led to the same issue with lacking access. The last time the developer paid to have a large tree out and some other works done to try and prevent the application being refused.

This last developer came knocking on the door I’m sure and spent a lot of time round the house. I think that makes the world of difference because we’d get at least one letter a year which can sometimes seem really outdated like you’ve said.

Its a fine balance, i am not a fan of a stranger knocking on doors, i wouldn't want some suited developer bothering or scaring my parents so i guess the letter thing is a gentler approach if they are interested then great they hopefully will respond. But it does feel outdated.

Land assemblies like yours is very difficult especially in London, no sooner have you think you have agreed a couple of plots then houseprices have increased or at least some owners think they have and make more demands. Eventually the stars usually align, as you say spending time with owners is a great way to gain two way trust.

 

[Snowy90]

"everyone needs a home"...the developers mantra...I hear that a lot where I live...sadly in London a lot of developments are simply investment properties being bought up from abroad.

Where I live the towers are being thrown up on a daily basis. A quick look at private houses for sale shows there is a mass exodus under!

I used to work in the 2000's for a very well known London Developer and without fail, the first launch would be in Dubai or Honkong they would set up whole offices to launch the scheme's they would sell 50% then launch in the UK. Many were let out on the private rented market but many weren't left empty as prices rose and the development completed then sold on. Its a practice that the Mayors office clamped down on but 1,000s of flats were sold that way.

 

[redlig]

Agree, wonder if it legal to shoot developers now

Only if you get caught.
In the mid 80's a developrat offered me £50.000 for 1/2 of my garden which would have given him 1/4 acre of nicely situated building plot. He just could not understand that it was where the Kids played and I didn't want a house next door.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

.....it is permissible to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.

But where would you find a Scot carrying those in York?

 

[Morrisman]

Our green and pleasant land is being concreted over. Personally speaking, we would set the dogs on you.

Of course our houses and land are okay, it is the people wanting to build more that are the curse.

 

[jerrytug]

Of course our houses and land are okay, it is the people wanting to build more that are the curse.

I am not allowed to state the obvious reason why we keep needing millions more houses.
People prefer to bury their heads in the sand and pretend it isn't happening.
They also get very angry when confronted with the simple arithmetic of exactly why our schools, hospitals, public housing services etc are grossly overloaded, and failing to cope with recent unprecedented population growth.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

What I don't like is developers have zero consideration for neighbours...it's all about stretching planning rules to maximise profits as far as I can tell.

When the towers go up then homeowners sell up...in 10 years the council can't work out why the place has suddenly turned into a slum as the BTL brigade move in!

 

[armalites]

In the mid 80's a developrat offered me £50.000 for 1/2 of my garden which would have given him 1/4 acre of nicely situated building plot. He just could not understand that it was where the Kids played and I didn't want a house next door.

From what I seen it's entirely possible they would have told you it was for one house and then you find it was for 3-4.

We have some friends locally whose parents sold a small strip of their garden to help a "lovely couple" who wanted to build a house and and needed access. They sold it for pennies because they were helping someone out. The purchasers went on build two properties and never came near the place! They had made it seem like they really wanted to move the to area etc,etc.

 

[Snowy90]

From what I seen it's entirely possible they would have told you it was for one house and then you find it was for 3-4.

We have some friends locally whose parents sold a small strip of their garden to help a "lovely couple" who wanted to build a house and and needed access. They sold it for pennies because they were helping someone out. The purchasers went on build two properties and never came near the place! They had made it seem like they really wanted to move the to area etc,etc.

Its exactly this kind of practice that gives all developers a bad name, that said, her solictor should have seen that coming.

 

[Keith 66]

Bloke next door to mums old place came a cropper a few years ago. Tiny cottage with 4 acres of woodland in an AONB, engaged an architect & firm of planning consultants to draw up plans for a new place. They came up with a grandiose design that though in keeping with the area failed to get planning permission. So they appealed after altering the plans etc. And it got knocked back again as it didnt have disabled access amongst other things.
Other issues & costs were Bat survey £800, Amphibian survey £800, Arborcultural survey (trees) £800, Highways report, Parish council report, Environment agency report, (Flood plain & sewage) English heritage report.
Lancaster city council then found that the cottage only had planning permission as a holiday cottage with severely limited occupation times. As he was living there full time he had no option but to move out & revert to weekends & holidays.
The whole shebang cost him £16,500.
When i was looking at selling mums place first thing i did was look at the council planning portal & read up on all the local developments. It was quite illuminating & one of the primary reasons i cut my losses & sold the place!