Development Viability Assessments

We complete high-quality, cost-effective development viability reports at any planning stage to assess your scheme’s viability and improve your profit.

Our services start at £500+VAT, depending on requirements and complexity. Unlike other consultants however we will always give a fixed fee for reporting and negotiation services.

We work to achieve realistic and viable section 106 and affordable housing contributions. This is not always about getting to zero, although in many cases the result is that a property development becomes unviable if forced to comply with requested contributions. Local Authority planning policies are often written to appear inflexible, but the reality is that they are all subject to viability constraints. Therefore, our job is to illustrate those limits, and demonstrate the maximum viable delivery of contributions - which is often somewhere between nothing, and the full request from the LPA.

Using industry standard specialist toolkits such as HCEAT, GLA Toolkit, and Argus Development Appraisals, we create comprehensive reports in a format widely understood and accepted by local planning authorities.

Our viability experts have been working with developers, planners and architects for over twenty years, and in that time, we have written thousands of viability appraisals  – saving an average of £100,000 per client. All of our reports are tailored to your specific development conditions, and the relevant policies from the local planning authority, to ensure a robust view of your development’s economic viability.

What is a development viability assessment?

All local authorities will seek a certain number of contributions from proposed development.

The viability report is a document that is more commonly asked for at the start of the planning process in order to justify lower contributions, and is required by many local authorities when determining consent.

These reports are the result of an objective appraisal process, wherein the amount of value generated by a development is assessed after considering all relevant costs. Financial viability is generally defined by whether the development value exceeds the existing land value (EUV) plus a landowner premium. The planning obligations part comes in where these costs push the profit margin to a level where the development no longer provides an acceptable level of profit – usually 15-20%.

When should I get a development viability appraisal?

It is considered best practice to submit the development viability report with your planning application, however it is possible to submit one at a later stage if necessary.

Understanding the economic viability of your site is just as important as other planning considerations, so it’s best to be armed with this information as early in the process as possible.

Let us do the maths.

Unlike many consultants, we provide free initial consultation with a member of our team to determine the viability of your development.

This will include a brief discussion about your site in terms of size, current use, and which planning authority it relates to. At this point we’ll also be able to discuss any current or potential section 106 planning obligations you have been asked for, and roughly calculate if we can help to reduce these to maintain your site’s viability. We will also be able to give you a fixed fee quote for our work.

We will tell you up front whether your site’s contributions are challengeable, before you spend a penny.

Our reports typically take no longer than 10 working days.

If you are required to enter further negotiations or an appeals process, we can also provide council liaison, appeal submissions and expert support to ensure the inspector fully understands the details of the viability case.

Get in touch today for a free consultation.

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