Assetz Capital has partnered with property intelligence platform Searchland to help SME housebuilders improve how they identify and assess development opportunities.
The specialist property lender and site sourcing platform will host a webinar on 23 July aimed at developers, land buyers and property professionals looking to strengthen their approach to site acquisition and appraisal.
Searchland, which is used by more than 2,000 property professionals, provides access to planning, ownership and market data designed to help developers evaluate potential opportunities before committing time and capital.
The webinar will focus on how data can be used to assess development sites at an early stage, helping developers avoid costly mistakes and improve decision making.
SCHEME VIABILITY
Using real-world examples from around Birmingham, Searchland’s team will demonstrate how factors such as planning history, ownership information, planning constraints, SHLAA data and local sales and lettings activity can influence the viability of a scheme.
The session will also highlight some of the less obvious indicators that can help determine whether a site is worth pursuing, providing practical guidance that developers can apply to future projects.
The initiative comes as SME housebuilders continue to face challenges around land acquisition, planning complexity and rising development costs, increasing the importance of thorough due diligence before progressing with a project.
Assetz Capital has provided more than £1.7bn of funding to SME developers since 2013, supporting projects from acquisition and planning through to development and refinance.
PLANNING HISTORY
Andrew Fraser (main picture), Chief Commercial Officer at Assetz Capital, says: “As a lender that supports SME housebuilders through every stage of the development lifecycle, we understand that, in today’s market, finding the right opportunity is about more than locating available land.
“Developers need to understand planning history, ownership structures, local market dynamics and potential constraints before deciding whether a site is worth pursuing.
“That’s why we’ve partnered with Searchland for a specific webinar – to give developers, land buyers and property professionals the practical tools and knowledge needed to strengthen their approach to site identification and assessment.”
