Finding the right plot is the hardest part of any self-build. The plots advertised online with planning permission are few, expensive and fought over. Developers rarely buy land that way. Most of the sites we build on were never advertised at all.
Here are the places we look, and you can too.
1. Large gardens. Walk or drive the roads where you want to live and look for houses on big plots, especially corner plots and gardens with a side access or a second frontage onto a lane.
2. Lapsed permissions. Council planning portals are public. Search for approvals that were never built and have since expired. The owner has already shown they are willing to develop, and the principle has been accepted before.
3. Refused applications. A refusal is not always the end. Read the reasons: if they were about design or access rather than location, a better scheme may succeed.
4. Permission in Principle. Some councils publish Permission in Principle approvals for small sites. These are early-stage consents that often sit unused.
5. Probate and downsizing. Family homes with large gardens often come up when owners move on. A polite, well-timed letter can open a conversation no estate agent will.
6. Write to owners. A short, honest letter explaining who you are and what you would like to build works far better than most people expect. Expect to send many letters for every reply.
Before you buy anything, check the planning history, access, boundaries and any restrictive covenants. A plot that looks perfect can hide an expensive problem.
Would you like help finding or checking a plot in Kent, Sussex or Surrey? Call Richard on 07771 547433.
