What to Consider When Selecting Your Site:

 

 

Well the first issue is to locate building plots and this is not always as straight forward a it may sound. If you live in the south east of England, then plots are at a premium. Areas such a Fenland and Lincolnshire have far more potential and plots are relatively abundant, however the value of the property you create will not be so high - so you pay your money and take your choice.

If you can find a plot within an existing community you are likely to save a small fortune on your infrastructure charges. Rural plots are great, but if the nearest water or electricity supply is half a mile away it may not be financially viable.

However rural plots do have advantages too. With space to site a self contained “bio disc” waste treatment plant you will save money on expensive mains drainage connections and qualify for a rebate on your water rates.

So you’ve trawled through the internet and the estate agents blurb and selected a hand full of plots that may be suitable. So what should you look out for? Well apart form the obvious like sighting and neighbours there are a few key points to observe

 

JUST BECAUSE THE PLOT HAS PLANNING APPROVAL IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN BUILD ON IT.

Warning !!!!!

If you get this wrong you could end up the proud owner of a building plot you cant build on

 

When planning permission is sought, the local planning authority are under no obligation to check ground conditions, services or other factors which may prevent you building. They are only required to look at the proposals and assess the development for suitability in relation to its surroundings.

Many plots of land suitable for development, lie untouched for years before appearing on the market.

As a prospective purchaser you must always ask yourself why? You many see a plot on the corner of streets which look perfect, or a wide plot with potential for multiple development. The reason these plots remain undeveloped usually lies below ground.

 

 

Service Companies

 

The worst of the lot are the Water Authorities - through no fault of their own.

Many service companies utilise these areas of ground to run their services and are extremely protective of them.

If your plot of land has a public sewer running through it - you will not build -

and its as simple as that!

 

And the worst of it is, if the sewer is not identified by the Local Authority search, the first you will know of its existence is when you apply to Building Control.

Consult your Water Authorities and Service providers before you sign anything

 

Another site issue which can have a huge impact on building costs is trees. It’s great to find a plot which is established with mature trees, but if they are within 30 metres of the proposed dwelling they can have a substantial impact on foundation design. In the worst case it may be necessary to pile the foundations which is both expensive and not particularly eco-friendly. Personally I’m not a great fan of pouring money into big holes in the ground so if possible take advice on tree species and sighting.

Local ground conditions must also be taken into account. We built in the Fenlands where the ground is silty and peaty and not ideal for development, however in the towns such as March, there is clay subsoil with only seams of silt. The good underlying ground is probably the reason these areas were originally developed and coupled with their raised position, why they became towns.

For local information about the area you are considering, contact your local authority building inspectors. They will be able to impart a wealth of local knowledge about ground conditions as well as suggesting the type of foundation most suited to the area.

You must also consider access to the site, sighting of the dwelling, storage of materials and the logistics of building the house. If your plot is at the end of a 3 mile unmade road, it us unlikely you will be able to convince suppliers to deliver to you. I have just completed a development in a town centre where the access was 3.6m wide and 40m long, but you would be surprised how many difficulties it caused

And that’s it - well its not intended to be an all inclusive list but as a general guide it should prevent you making too many costly errors.

 

So Check:

Sewer Records                                              Water Authorities

Gas Providers                                                 Electricity Providers

Telephone and Cable Providers                 Mine Working Maps

Tree Species                                                   Local Building Control

Flooding Risk Records                                 Local Authority Searches

 

Happy Plot Hunting