For a no obligation appraisal of your land, fill in the form below.

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Note: We use the popular what3words service www.what3words.com to help us pinpoint your land more accurately. Use the app on your mobile or the website to search for your property then select the square that is nearest to the centre of you land. It will generate three random words. Enter these into the form above.

As a landowner can I promote my land for development?

Yes! As a landowner you can promote your land through the planning system. 

But do you have the planning, design and technical knowledge as well as the financial funds to do this?

Obtaining planning permission is expensive, time consuming, challenging and risky.

Even for a allocated site in the Local Plan there is no guarantee of obtaining planning permission. 

Get a free no obligation appraisal of the potential of your land here

Land Promotion BrochureDownload our latest strategic
land promotion brochure

Do you have undeveloped farm land, a country estate, grazing land and paddocks or defunct rural business land?

Any new site which Catesby assesses on behalf of a landowner goes through the process of having a detailed land valuation carried out.

This is specifically done by members of the land team who are experienced at assessing sites and their potential value and deciding whether the site meets the criteria needed to be part of our land promotion portfolio.

We follow the same process on every site when a land opportunity first comes into Catesby. 

If the site is able to pass through our planning and technical reviews it, then comes to the land team in order to start appraising the site to determine once and for all if the opportunity meets our financial model.

We initially work with our in-house teams to get an idea if there are certain restrictions to the number of homes which would be appropriate for the site or perhaps there is third party land in which a ransom payment would have to potentially be paid. 

So therefore it is important that the appraisal we carry out is thorough and accurate.

Am I eligible for a free land valuation appraisal?

Catesby’s criteria is quite specific when it comes to sites that we are appraising, this means that we usually tend to look at sites which are 8 acres and above with no real limit in place as to how large the site could be as it not uncommon for Catesby to be looking at land sites which can deliver thousands of new homes.

We are interested in sites that are in sustainable locations with good access to existing facilities and where we can overcome technical challenges such are site access.

Landowners choose to partner with us as their strategic land promoter, due to our track record in successfully delivering planning consents and our ability to maximise land value on their behalf

The uplift in land value between agricultural land and land with planning permission can be significant. 

However, obtaining planning permission for a site can be extremely expensive and time consuming, with no guarantee of success.

Catesby Estates take on the finance and risk of promoting your site through the planning system so as a landowner you don’t have to.

Can you afford not to have a successful outcome at Planning Committee or Appeal?

This is where Catesby Estates are able to assist, as your strategic land promotion partner.

As the landowner you are consulted during the whole process and our return is based on a pre-agreed split of the sale proceeds, meaning Catesby’s and your objectives are aligned to maximise value and returns.

We would use our in-house expertise and financial resources to fund the land promotion at no cost to you.  


For a no obligation appraisal of your land, fill in the form below.

Visit site

Note: We use the popular what3words service www.what3words.com to help us pinpoint your land more accurately. Use the app on your mobile or the website to search for your property then select the square that is nearest to the centre of you land. It will generate three random words. Enter these into the form above.

What Are The Advantages Of A Land Promotion Agreement For A Landowner?

The Government is vowing to deliver 300,000 new homes every year.

Catesby Estates are committed to helping landowners and housebuilders deliver high quality new homes and communities through the land promotion model.

The advantages of a promotion agreement are:

  • A promotion agreement enables you to retain control over your land throughout the promotion, marketing and sales process
  • You still own the land, and during the promotion process you are free to continue farming or working the land as you wish
  • There is a common interest to achieve the highest deliverable price. This is unlike an option agreement, commonly used by a housebuilder, which is a legally binding agreement to purchase the land in the future
  • No money is spent by the landowner throughout the process, with Catesby Estates covering all the costs involved in obtaining planning permission
  • The risk in achieving planning permission is on Catesby Estates as your selected land promotion partner

What Is A Land Promotion Agreement, Option Agreement and Unconditional Purchase?

As your selected land promotion partner we would work with you to bring forward your land under either a promotion agreement, option agreement or freehold purchase to suit your requirements as the landowner.

Promotion Agreement

Catesby Estates uses its resources to fund the strategic promotion of the land through the planning process.

Once planning permission has been achieved the site is then sold for the highest possible return.

 

Land Promotion Agreements Diagram

Freehold Purchase

For landowners wishing to dispose of land quickly, an outright purchase of the land can be agreed with Catesby Estates.

This can be with an overage in favour of the landowner to capture the uplift in value when a planning consent has been obtained.

Option Agreement

In return for a non-refundable sum of money, Catesby Estates would have a legally binding option to purchase the land at some point in the future.  This is known as a “option period”.

What Is The Potential of My Land  For Housing?

This is probably the second most common question we get asked as a strategic land promoter.

With the Government's ambition for more homes, and newspaper headlines reporting on the rapid expansion of our towns and villages, you would be forgiven for thinking that all land can be developed.

The reality is there are no fixed rules, but there are some key factors which make some land sites more suitable than others:

Location, location, location

To coin a phrase, location is the most important factor when determining the suitability of a site, as delivering sustainable development is at the heart of decision and policy making.

A good indicator for the suitability of a location is whether the local area has had any new housing in recent years, and if so how much?

Close to existing development

New development should connect into the existing built form of a village or town.

However where larger number of houses are required, consideration should be given to whether the land could form part of a wider development utilising adjoining land which better relates to your existing village or town.

Impact on the wider landscape

Landscape impact is a subjective matter which is open to considerable debate.

Landscaping schemes and careful design can help soften the visual appearance of development, however land which is already well contained by existing trees and hedgerows will have a head start over those sites which are more open to the wider landscape.

Planning policy provides the highest protection to areas within National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Many parts of the UK are constrained, with areas containing large areas of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), National Parks and Green Belt. This provides opportunities for those sites which are not covered by these designations.

Yet with the high level of housing need, Councils will need to consider deliver housing in these areas as well, and the Green Belt debate is well documented in the press.

Other matters to consider is the proximity of the site to listed buildings, conservation areas and potential impact on heritage assets. This doesn’t necessarily preclude development, but it is an important consideration when considering the suitability of the site.

Can the site be delivered?

Drainage, gradient and access also have a strong influence on a site's suitability for housing.

As innovators within in the land promotion sector, Catesby Estates was one of the first to recognise the importance and added value in-house technical expertise can deliver to both landowners and housebuilders.

We nurtured and developed our own in-house technical team, making our skill set unique amongst land promoters.

Tell us about your land and find out its potential.