Anyone invest in land?
Discussion
I got a brochure through the door from this firm - looks like a land investment type company who do all the work for you and charge you a %.
http://www.crownlandsecurities.co.uk/
Has anyone here actually used these guys before? ...I cant seem to find them at Companies House etc.
I can see the potential benefits of having some of a portfolio in land for a mid-long term return (min investment here is £10K), but obviously its speculative based on the land getting planning permission in future and being sold to property developers.
Has anyone else any experience on this type of investment?
http://www.crownlandsecurities.co.uk/
Has anyone here actually used these guys before? ...I cant seem to find them at Companies House etc.
I can see the potential benefits of having some of a portfolio in land for a mid-long term return (min investment here is £10K), but obviously its speculative based on the land getting planning permission in future and being sold to property developers.
Has anyone else any experience on this type of investment?
Please do not fall for this company's marketing blurb. The plots they sell will be in a field somewhere in the uk where a residential planning consent will be a long, long time away (if ever).
There's an easy way to find out though. Get the address of your 'plot' and then take the o/s map that you have requested off them to the council.
Go to the planning dept and ask for the UDP (Unitary Development Plan) with the Maps.
Open the maps. Find your address on the map (the field or plot will be covered in Green probably which usually stands for Greenbelt - there will be a key on the map for the different colours). Each colour will have a set of policies beside them that are pertinent for that colour. Open the UDP and read them. On the Front of the UDP will be two dates - it will say something like UDP for the Borough of Xxxxxx adopted 2004 to 2011 or 2002-2016. Those policies will stay in force until that end date.
Try and measure how far away from a town or village boundary your plot is. If it's more than say 100 yards I'd really forget it. Councils are extremely reluctant to encroach into Greenbelt due to the polictical ramifictions of doing so. Even 100 yards is slightly pushing it UNLESS your plot is in a Govt area for major regeneration (Thames Gateway for example) - different rules will apply to that.
If oyu can afford to tie your money up for years and years it might (big might) be worth something a whole lot more in the years to come but I personaly feel that you'll never realise anything from this investment (by the time you get your money inflation alone will have eroded the effect!).
Stay away. I know you were going to but just wanted to explain exactly why.
Oi_Oi
There's an easy way to find out though. Get the address of your 'plot' and then take the o/s map that you have requested off them to the council.
Go to the planning dept and ask for the UDP (Unitary Development Plan) with the Maps.
Open the maps. Find your address on the map (the field or plot will be covered in Green probably which usually stands for Greenbelt - there will be a key on the map for the different colours). Each colour will have a set of policies beside them that are pertinent for that colour. Open the UDP and read them. On the Front of the UDP will be two dates - it will say something like UDP for the Borough of Xxxxxx adopted 2004 to 2011 or 2002-2016. Those policies will stay in force until that end date.
Try and measure how far away from a town or village boundary your plot is. If it's more than say 100 yards I'd really forget it. Councils are extremely reluctant to encroach into Greenbelt due to the polictical ramifictions of doing so. Even 100 yards is slightly pushing it UNLESS your plot is in a Govt area for major regeneration (Thames Gateway for example) - different rules will apply to that.
If oyu can afford to tie your money up for years and years it might (big might) be worth something a whole lot more in the years to come but I personaly feel that you'll never realise anything from this investment (by the time you get your money inflation alone will have eroded the effect!).
Stay away. I know you were going to but just wanted to explain exactly why.
Oi_Oi
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