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Site promotion

Taking land through the planning system so it is worth more when it is sold. For a landowner this means we carry the work and much of the cost of securing consent, in return for a share of the uplift when the site is sold with planning.

What it involves

  • Site assessment

    Whether the land has a realistic route to consent: policy position, allocations, local housing or care need, constraints, access and neighbours.

  • The agreement

    A promotion agreement or an option agreement, explained plainly before you sign. Both are set out in the sectors pages and in the land requirements page.

  • Planning strategy

    Choosing the use that has the best chance and the best value, which in many towns is a care home or retirement scheme rather than general housing.

  • The professional team

    Appointing and managing planners, architects, highways, ecology, drainage and the other consultants a planning application needs.

  • Consultation

    Pre-application discussions with the council, and engagement with neighbours and members where it helps the application.

  • Sale with consent

    Marketing the consented site to operators, developers and investors, running a competitive process, and seeing the sale through.

Who it is for

  • Landowners with a field, a paddock, a yard or a redundant building on the edge of a town and no appetite for planning risk.

  • Farmers and estates wanting to release a parcel without selling the whole holding.

  • Trustees and executors who need a defensible process and a clear record of value.

  • Owners of former care homes and institutional buildings where the existing use has ended and the site needs a new one.

Common questions

What is the difference between a promotion agreement and an option?
Under an option the developer has the right to buy your land at an agreed price or discount once planning is granted. Under a promotion agreement the promoter secures planning and then sells the land on the open market with you, sharing the proceeds. The promoter and the landowner are on the same side of the sale.
Who pays for the planning application?
Under a promotion agreement the promoter normally funds it and recovers the cost from the sale. The split and the cost cap are agreed at the start.
How long does it take?
From agreement to consent is commonly one to three years depending on whether the site is allocated, the council’s capacity and whether an appeal is needed. Sale after consent adds months, not years.

Sectors this applies to

Discuss your land.

Whether you own land, act for someone who does, or need sites for a scheme, you deal with us directly from the first conversation, straightforward and without obligation.

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Seb Morris, founder of SMR Land Ltd

Seb Morris

Founder and Director