Old cottage to retiree apartment.

[Mike Halmarack]

My wife and I are 2 thirds of a trio living in a dilapidated cottage with a large garden. We're all around retirement age and have decided we want to sell up and get minimal apartments designed for post retirees. Our children and grandchildren are living in Canada, so we'd also like to have the wherewithal to continue visiting them for as long as we're able.

Short of doing any demolishing and rebuilding of the property myself, I'd like to maximise the financial benefits of this project by taking such things as planning permission applications as far as I can before any heavy lifting starts.

Though it will be necessary to engage some professional help in achieving this. I'd like to avoid the mistake of employing more experts than are necessary to this end.

Can the good people of the newsgroup please suggest the type of professional expert I should approach to most effectively cover our needs in this endeavour?

I realise that there may be more appropriate newsgroups than this for my question but uk.d-i-y has been pretty central to my past interests and I have a lot of respect for the general expertise of it's members. So, TIA.

[Michael Chare]

For planning, I suggest visiting the local planning department and their web site. I would expect there to be a local plan document which outlines what is possible. I would expect the planning department to know about any planning consultants who would be willing to help you for a fee.

Getting planning permission is step one and should be completed before any demolition work.

[Mike Halmarack]

I think that's it in a nutshell, thanks.

[spuorgelgoog]

Greatest potential is likely to be if you can split the garden and create a building plot with outline planning permission for a new dwelling. That will depend a lot on whether access is available, as well as local planning policies.

My suggestion then would be to sell the building plot and wait until it's built on before selling your cottage. That way your buyer won't be inconvenienced or put off by the building process. Or sell your cottage + plot in one go, but with an uplift clause so you get some of the profit if the plot is developed within x years.

Otherwise, seriously look at demolishing the dilapidated cottage especially if you can then get 2 or 3 dwellings as semi or terraced house on the land. Then sell with o.p.p. for demolition and rebuilt and an uplift clause.

Owain

[Mike Halmarack]

Owain, I like the way you go into this level of detail. I'm sure the nuances of what you write make very specific points regarding the formalities and legalities of planning permission.

I do wonder though, and hope, that we could opt for close to the choice defined in the last line you write, without either physically demolishing the cottage or including any clauses that delay finalisation of the deal to a significantly later date.

That is, to sell the land with planning permission for several houses, but leave all further details and work to any buyer/builder who decides to purchase the land, without us incurring any significant reduction of profit by doing so.

[ARW]

Psychic Jim strikes again:-)

[newshound]

This, pretty much, is what my former neighbour has just done with his garage business. He had an architect draw up plans for a number of houses on the site, got planning permission at the second attempt, then sold that package to a builder/developer. The demolition and preparatory groundworks have almost been completed (by a specialist firm), I am expecting the builders to be starting soon.

[Mike Halmarack]

That seems to be within our range of capabilities, thanks.

[Brian Gaff]

It also depends on where it is, what the local rules are on development an what neighbours, if any think, as it seems a very popular thing around here to flatten bungalows, put up three storey flats and then live in one with income from the others. Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

Probably I can.

Planning permission is worth getting, but developing yourself is NOT.

First of all find out what the status of your property is. If it is inside a village boundary and they have a Plan, you must stick to that plan. If they have no plan you may be able to do massicve thiongs #]

One source of free advice is estate agents. Another is the duty planning ossifer at the local council.

Both should know whether any possibility of development exists.

What is normal is extension +15% in ground area. What is profitable is a new dwelling in a back garden.

If the possibilitry exists then get an architect to draw up plans and submit them.

At all times work with the council, not against them.

Planning gets you far more upside than development.

Get full permissions as well. Outlien is a grey area.

No I think you are spot on.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dont get involved in the build,. If dempolition and three luxury apartments is what you can get planning for 90% of the value add is achieved with the planning. Sell it en bloc, take the money and walk away and let it all be someone else's problem.

Yes that is best.

Over a year after I left the dilapidated cottage I was renting that was sold to a developer to build two horrid houses in its rather nice garden, the cottage is still for sale. I moved out because tehy destroyed the kitchen and bathroom...it has been on the market unsold for over a year.

You don't need hassle like that.

[The Natural Philosopher]

e only professional you need is an architect. Planning comsultants area waste of money if you are capable of talking to the council yourself.

Take te vio;lin and play on tejt herat strings - eledetrly folkl need to maximsie aset base to move to shleterd accomodation blah bl;ah blah..

I went past our local Gypsy site. Planning permission garned for just two caravand on compassionate grounds 'because ny disabled daughter cant bear neighburs' 7 years later there are pads going on for what looks like 25 caravans.

No one from the council is interested.

[newshound]

+1 on all of TNP's points.

[Mike Halmarack]

Thanks for the good advice I've been given on this thread, particularly that from Owain and TNP. It's helped to clarify the situation and has moved me on in this project significantly. I'm going to continue by writing letters explaining needs to the 3 main agencies recommended here, the council planning department, the architects and the estate agents. This because I now have a much clearer idea of the situation.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dont write letters - just pop and and sit down with duty planning officer and TALK.

[ARW]

It's your fault for stating the bleeding obvious.

[Mike Halmarack]

This thread has made several things pretty clear. As a result I'll make an appointment to go around to the Planning Office for advice, even though, as you say, they are unlikely to make any definite statements.

I also really picked up on the idea that if I employed an Architect at the initial stages, I would hope to save myself the trouble and expense of engaging a variety of peripheral consultants and advisers.

Certainly with the first Architects I've approached, based on the impressive and apparently comprehensive list of services they offer, including planning advice and applications, I was surprised that the first thing the responder asked was whether I had yet engaged a Planning Consultant? This because, if I hadn't he could recommend one.

A slight mental jolt ensued.

[spuorgelgoog]

Local surveyors who handle building plot sales may also be worth approaching.

But won't you be bored in a minimal post-retiree apartment with no draughts, mice and to-do list? ;-)

Owain

[Mike Halmarack]

Probably not very, because I won't be there most of the time. Not untill I need planting in front of the telly with a blanket around my knees anyway. May that day be distant.

[Andrew]

And all he will say is 'submit full plans' (because that means you pay a big FEE which pays his huge pension).