9165 - BM Outlook 2022 R6 - Flipbook - Page 28
From start to finish
The end – and the beginning:
In progress:
Early days:
No two sites are alike and so
promoting a new site reflects the
local situation and is carefully
nurtured throughout the planning
process. Oliver explained:
“In the current climate it feels
like there are no easy sites left,
which means we need to deal with
potential ‘showstoppers’ at the
outset. This can include arranging
access and dealing with historic
covenants, overage conditions or
land owner consortiums”.
CASE STUDY
Land at Eastbourne,
East Sussex
Batcheller Monkhouse is at the
early stages of promoting a
7.6-acre site in Eastbourne for
residential development, taking
advantage of the demand for
housing in the borough together
with the strategic location of
the land. A first step has been to
make a submission through the
Land Availability Assessment
(LAA). Early work also included
remedying access concerns and
identifying the right land promoter
to take the site forward.
With environmental considerations
increasingly important, the
planning process is becoming
more complicated and expensive.
Because a number of planning
authorities have failed to put
in place a Local Plan, there is a
greater degree of uncertainty over
suitable locations for development,
which means working closely with
the local planning officer and the
land promoter to bring forward a
favourable scheme.
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
Land at Uckfield,
East Sussex
Following positive meetings with
the planning authority a planning
application has been prepared by
the land promoter for 60 units.
The scheme aims to maximise
the site value while bringing
forward a development that will
appeal to house builders and
future occupants.
Land at Angmering,
West Sussex
After winning planning
permission for 160 units,
Batcheller Monkhouse has
agreed a successful sale of this
development site to Redrow
Homes following a competitive
bidding process which achieved
a figure well above the guide price.
Additional work was required
to secure vacant possession
of the site, including sensitive
negotiations with the existing
commercial tenants.
Robin Whatley
Associate,
Tunbridge Wells
Government ambitions around improving mobile phone and internet
access have seen a significant swing of the pendulum in the telecoms world.
Farmers who could once negotiate what seemed a fair price for allowing
a telecoms mast on their land or buildings now find that the boot is
very much on the other foot.
Not only is the price pretty much fixed –
not to mention much lower than it used to
be – but telecoms operators have the right
to access any parcel of land that looks to
them like a good site for another mast.
It can be difficult for landowners to know how
to respond to an enquiry, but the first course
of action should be to take professional
advice. Fortunately, Batcheller Monkhouse
has much experience in this area and was
heavily involved in the Upper Tribunal cases
that now underpin valuation decisions.
Development team
Scan the QR code to learn more
about our development team and
some recent projects.
26 | Outlook
Winning planning permission is
often a moment of celebration,
but it is by no means the end
of the journey. The site will
need to be marketed and sold
to a suitable housebuilder after
taking into account a number of
criteria as well as the purchase
price. The purchasers’ solicitors
will scrutinise the site at this
point, which will mean finding
solutions to any problems that
have not already been tackled by
Batcheller Monkhouse’s initial
due diligence work.
Here Robin Whatley answers some of
the questions landowners ask when
the Man from the Telecoms Company
comes calling…
I’ve had a letter from a company claiming
to act for a telecoms business and wanting
access to my land. Can I just ignore it?
Sadly not. Under the Telecoms Code,
they have a right to come on your land
and survey it for a new mast. You are
obliged to reply and generally to allow
them access, but you might want to have
a professional adviser there at the time,
and record what they can and cannot
do in writing.
Apparently they want to to do something
called an MSV. What’s that all about?
A Multi-Skilled Visit is designed to allow
the company to do the various checks
and surveys it needs to assess the
suitability of the site. They might bring
a team of people to dig a trial pit to
check potential footings, do line of sight
or radio planning surveys and perhaps
even take drone footage.
Telecommunications | 27