Turning Planning Permission into Profit
How We Added £7.4M to a Developer’s Bottom Line
The Challenge
“We’ve secured planning permission after months of effort, but the numbers just don’t stack up.”
This familiar lament echoed through the boardroom of a leading UK housebuilder. Their recently acquired site had all the hallmarks of a successful development—good location, planning permission in hand, and strong local demand. Yet the financial appraisals showed marginal profitability at best.
The development team faced a common dilemma: they’d invested considerable resources in securing planning permission, but the conventional approach to development wasn’t yielding the returns they needed. Starting the planning process again would mean delays, additional costs, and no guarantee of a better outcome.
The Solution
Rather than accepting the status quo, we applied our LVA Method™ algorithms to analyse current and projected market trends. We discovered a significant mismatch between the approved unit mix and what buyers in the area were actually willing to pay premium prices for.
Our analysis revealed something surprising: the approved scheme included a conventional mix of homes based on planning policy requirements, but this mix didn’t align with actual market demand in the area.
Our market research showed strong demand for larger 4-bedroom homes among affluent families relocating from nearby cities—a segment willing to pay premium prices for the right product. Meanwhile, the smaller units were entering a saturated market with intense price competition.
“You’re building what planners want to see, not what buyers want to buy,” was our assessment.
Using the LVA Method™, we developed a counterintuitive strategy: reduce the number of units but increase the proportion of larger homes. This approach would enhance the overall Gross Development Value while actually reducing infrastructure costs.
Our proprietary algorithms identified several specific opportunities:
Housing Mix Recalibration
Shifting from a conventional mix to one aligned with premium market demand
Net Developable Area Optimisation
Reconfiguring the layout to increase usable land by 3.2%
Corner Plot Enhancement
Redesigning 8 corner plots as premium dual-aspect homes
Affordable Housing Reconfiguration
Creating a more efficient layout for affordable homes to free up land for market-rate units
The Takeaway
“The best time to optimise was before submission. The second best time is now.”
This case study demonstrates the power of challenging conventional wisdom in land development. By applying data-driven analysis to identify overlooked value drivers, the LVA Method™ delivered significant enhancements without increasing risk or extending timelines.
As one team member joked during the project’s celebratory dinner, “It turns out the treasure was buried in our site plan all along—we just needed the right map to find it.”
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