Looking to Sell a Site
with Planning

Here at Social Housing Co. we can assist you with each and every aspect of a potential social housing development. We can help you through the planning process and ensure your site is ready to be sold and that you can achieve the best price possible.

Scheme Map

The preparation process of a series of legal maps to be lodged and approved by the land registration authority. This sets out the:

• Overall site boundaries.
• Sub division Boundaries.
• All rights of access and easements for services

It is strongly advised to undergo this process and seek the land registration authority approval prior to commencement of building works on site. Once the land registry approves the scheme map, the setting out of the development in accordance with the scheme map begins. This part of the process is designed so that the individual properties within the overall development can be sold off at any stage during the process as all the boundaries, rights of access and waylays are legally identified and approved. This means the remainder of the development would be unaffected by the sale. The scheme map stage of the project is arduous but it sets out the legal framework for all the parties to work within.

A cert of identity is required at the end of the process to validate it. Particular attention needs to be given to apartment style developments during the scheme map creation process as it is advisable to incorporate public services and easements ownership on the scheme map. The ESB requires ownership of any land which a substation is located on and easements on underground electrical supply lines. Irish water also requires easements over all public areas in a development and it will only approve a connection once these easements have been recognised. Through the correct management of the scheme map process at the pre-construction stage we can help you avoid any costly time delays to the project. This also enables the legal process to be made much more efficient and ensures your payments are released without delays.

Declaration of Identity

On completion of the works and the sale of a property within the development, A declaration of identity will be required to accompany the legal pack. This is a legal document produced by your design team which certifies all works boundaries and properties rights were executed in accordance with the scheme map. This gives assurances of the executed appropriate boundaries, accesses and services are in full compliance with the land registry approved scheme map. This means the individual units can be effectively extracted from the scheme map.

Feasibility Study

The first part of a feasibility study for a social housing development is site selection. The main idea behind this is identifying the quality of the proposed site. This involves examining the suitability with regard to:

• Zoned for housing
• Access to essential public services such as ESB, Irish Water, Wate Treatment Facilities
• The slope of the ground
• Not in a flood zone
• Separation from existing properties
• Safe access to the site from a public road
• Local waste treatment capacity to cater for additional loading proposed.
• Pre-Connection Enquiry. Preliminary Irish water connection agreement

Any local Authority or Approved Housing Association will also consider the location of a proposed development relative to important public services such as public transport, schools, banks, shops etc.

The next stage of the feasibility study should establish the need and benefit of the development. This stage includes but is not limited to:

• Demand in locality for social housing units.
• Value of recently sold social housing association units. This is important so that you can identify the type of development you are going to propose.
• Existing social housing capacity in the locality compared to the existing private housing developments as it is important to the local authorities that there is an equal spread.
• Local Authority support. Any social housing development requires the support of the local authority.
• Type of unit demands. Each Local Authority requires different sized units which is identified through examination of the housing list. The amount of one, two, three, or four bedroom units on your development proposal can be identified on this.
• Demonstrate the long-term viability of the project.
• Preplanning consultation.
• Identification of risks involved.
• Availability of finance to support the project.
• Financial Viability of the Social Housing Development. This involves the identification of the cost per unit of your proposed development which must then be compared to the previously identified cost of previous units sold in the locality.

The feasibility study is a vital part of any development as it allows you to identify the financial viability, benefits and likelihood of acceptance of any Social Housing Development before any major costs are sunk into the project. We can use our years of experience conducting feasibility studies to identify whether this project makes sense both for you and the Local Authority or Approved Housing Association.

Design Drawing

The design of a social housing development is crucial as it has a direct impact on both the overall planning viability and the likelihood of acceptance by a social housing association. That is why choosing SOCIAL HOUSING CO. can save you both time and money as we have vast experience in designing social housing developments so we can easily identify what the Housing Association will want while also creating an acceptable design to the local planner.

Cost efficiency is the most vital aspect of a social housing development design. Each and every stage of the design process must focus on maximising your return while ensuring that the project is acceptable to the standards set out in the building regulations, requirements of the housing bodies and government. To do this it is important to ensure:

• Design that allows the maximum amount of units possible within the site.
• Designed to make the best use of the land, while meeting all requirements.
• Using the minimum amount of roads.
• Sufficient green areas must be provided.
• Basic costing measures included.

Excellent presentation of your design proposal is of vital importance as it will help sell the development to the local Authorities and Housing Associations. To do this we recommend 3D visualization and montages as it will enable the viewer to really see what the end product will look like and allow them to fully appreciate the design and its features. We have the in-house expertise necessary to construct this visualization.

Once you have completed your preliminary design proposal and you consult the local planning authorities. The design must then be revised so that it meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Go for Planning

Once you lodge a planning application it is important that the application is managed through the assessment process. This can be a difficult and time-consuming process.  An inexperienced design team can make simple mistakes leasing to an increase in both the time spent and cost of the planning application process. Firstly, it is important to decide what type of planning you are applying for.

• Permission: Often referred to as full permission, and is the most common type of application.
• Outline permission: An application to build on a particular site, before you start drawing up detailed development plans, which can save you a lot of trouble and expense in the long run.
• Permission consequent to outline permission: Occurs when outline permission is granted by the local authority.

Here at SOCIAL HOUSING CO. we have the skills and experience required to manage the process for you and we can ensure the process is completed promptly. Important tips for a successful planning application:

• Use the pre-application advice system
• Be familiar with local policy
• Understand the role precedent plays in planning applications
• Provide sufficient information: Most planning departments will not accept an application if they feel insufficient information has been included so ensure you have provided sufficient information.

Once you receive the final notification of planning permission it is normal to have planning conditions that will need to be satisfied. These are clarifications or revisions that the planning authority has specified within the decision. They must be fully satisfied to move on. This often includes adaptations to your overall design. Once this process is complete your next step will be negotiating the sale to a Developer or Housing Association.

Negotiating sale of land with Housing Association or Developer

We have an inhouse team that can accurately value and market your property to potential buyers. Our main aim is to ensure you get best price. Experience at this type of negotiation is vital.