Land development

[SueEllen]

My plumbing has always been in check, thank you!

Some of the stuff I did was fit first floor joists, board first floor, fit stairs, most of first fix electrics, most of first fix plumbing, fitted out all (5) bathrooms, built whole upstairs studded walls, insulated and plasterboarded upstairs, fitted windows and conservatory.... ****...I'm struggling to think of things ! Pretty much everything except for foundations, brickwork and roof trusses.

Were you on Grand Designs?

[ChrisPackit]

Were you on Grand Designs?

Interesting you mention that, but No. I did apply for it early on and they rejected it as at the time, I didn't have full planning permission through. The more I thought about it though, it was a good move I think as a lot of the proceeds towards the build came from the sale of a 'cash rich' business, so I'm sure it may have aroused suspicions...

[Paddy]

Go for a chat with the local planning officer first, they should tell you if there is a chance to get planning permission.I went down that road a few years ago, a mistake on the plans and they got rejected. Lost interest, sold the land a few years later and got 100K more than I paid for it

Like fuc3 they will. I wanted to purchase and develop a town centre building into a win bar. The planning department said it would be impossible and they would oppose it all the way. A few months later it was purchased by another person and up and running without any opposition. Moral; be prepared to had over cash to the planning department.

[PAH]

One area that might be worth investigating is conversion of commercial property to residential.

I'm sure I read somewhere recently that due to lots of bricks and mortar businesses closing down leaving loads of commercial properties empty that planning depts are more open to allow such a radical change of use.

'Just' need to find the right building and make sure it's not got a past involving dodgy chemicals that mean it would cost tulip loads to have the site officially decontaminated.

There's a few prime candidates in my old hometown that have been left to decay for what seems like decades. Still have the 'for sale' signs on them. Maybe they're listed so a ball-ache to do anything with, and are now in such a decrepit state that demolition is the only sensible recourse.