For some time we had been thinking about buying some land where we could build an environmentally friendly house but like most self-builders it wasn't easy to find a plot, let alone one which we could afford. Demand always outstrips supply.
We had thought that our only option might be to move away from Warwickshire and find somewhere where the cost of land was cheaper and plots were more plentiful. And then, one day we were out for a walk in the village where we live and saw a planning notice pinned to a telegraph pole, which it became evident was for detailed planning permission for one of six houses on a field on the edge of the village. Looking into the planning history it was evident that Stratford District Council had granted, what's called, outline planning permission for six self-build eco-houses! Of the six, four had detailed plans accepted.
Could it be possible that one of the two remaining plots with no detailed planning permission might be available? Sally, my partner and I didn't dare to hope ... Luckily, it turned out that the owner of the land was an acquaintance from the village - someone I had come across when helping to build the annual village bonfire - and so we approached him to see whether there was any chance of buying one of the six plots.
To cut a longer story short, we were in luck. The purchase of one of the plots had stalled and after a nervous wait of four months, the owner agreed to sell the plot to us. We had to pinch ourselves, a fully serviced plot for an eco-house, 3 mins walk from our current house.
Serendipity was on our side and we realise just how lucky we were to find the right plot on our door steps. By all accounts a lot of people do find land by word of mouth but in general the quest to find a suitable plot can be long and frustrating.
If you are starting your search for a plot of land some useful sources include:
- https://plotbrowser.com/plot/search
- Estate agents and on-line property sites eg https://www.rightmove.co.uk/
- Interestingly every council (planning authority) has to hold a register of inhabitants who want to self-build. These registers feed into planning authorities housing demand profile. For more info see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/self-build-and-custom-housebuilding
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