Landowner Joint Ventures in Hastings
If you own land in Hastings and want more than a land price, a joint venture lets you stay involved in what gets built. The structure might be a contract, a joint venture company or a partnership. Each has different implications for control, risk, tax and funding, so independent legal and tax advice is essential before you commit.
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Our coverage in Hastings
About 31 miles east of Brighton, Hastings is part of our East Sussex coverage, centred on postcode district TN34. Nearby, we also cover Bexhill-on-Sea, Hailsham and Eastbourne, all within 14 miles. Within England, Hastings falls in the South East region.
Around Hastings we look at brownfield land in and around Hastings, large and long rear gardens and redundant commercial buildings. Planning in Hastings follows England’s rules: the National Planning Policy Framework sets national policy and the council’s Local Plan sets local policy.
Tell us where your land is around Hastings and we will explain the routes open to you.
Why work with Land to Homes in Hastings
Clear exit routes
The agreement should cover what happens on completion, if one party wants to leave, or if planning is refused. Clear exit terms protect both sides from being locked into a project that no longer works.
Funding and lender security
Development lenders usually want a first charge over the land. If your land is charged, you need to understand what happens if the project runs into difficulty and what protection the agreement gives you.
Construction within the group
As part of the S&K Group, a construction and property group, Land to Homes plans schemes around homes it can build, keeping design, cost control and delivery closely connected.
Choice of structure
A joint venture can be purely contractual, a joint venture company or a limited liability partnership. Each handles control, liability, tax and exit differently, and your own advisers should help you choose.
Planning in Hastings: the English rules
Whether a field or large garden could take homes depends mostly on the council's Local Plan and national policy. Under the National Planning Policy Framework, plans define settlement boundaries, and land just outside Hastings may still come forward if it is allocated, previously developed or meets evidenced unmet housing need. Smaller housing schemes can also use Permission in Principle, an England-only route that settles location, use and amount first. Our free appraisal explains which route suits your land.
In England, a joint venture scheme still has to meet the Local Plan, the NPPF and, where it applies, biodiversity net gain. Affordable housing is usually secured through a Section 106 agreement, which affects cash flow. If land is transferred into a joint venture company, Stamp Duty Land Tax can arise, and the transfer is registered at HM Land Registry.
| Local planning document | Local Plan |
|---|---|
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority) |
| Land registration | HM Land Registry |
| How a sale becomes binding | A land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, after which the buyer registers the title with HM Land Registry. |
Your questions answered for Hastings
How is the land valued in a joint venture?
Usually by agreement or independent valuation at the start, based on its value with or without planning. That figure may give you a first call on proceeds before any profit is shared. The method matters a great deal, so agree it in writing and consider taking advice from your own surveyor.
Do I have to put money into a joint venture?
Not always. In many landowner joint ventures the land is the landowner's whole contribution, while the developer arranges the rest of the funding. Some structures ask both parties to contribute cash. The agreement should state clearly whether any further contribution could ever be required from you, and in what circumstances.
What happens if the joint venture does not get planning?
The agreement should say. Common approaches include ending the venture with each party bearing its own costs, or allowing a revised application within a set period. Make sure you know whether any planning costs could ever be charged to you, and in what circumstances, before you sign.
How is a property joint venture taxed?
It depends on the structure and your circumstances. Taking part in development can change how your proceeds are taxed, for example as income rather than a capital gain, and moving land into a company can trigger stamp duty or its equivalent in your nation. Speak to an accountant before agreeing any structure.
Do you work with landowners in Hastings?
We do. We work with landowners in Hastings and elsewhere in East Sussex, including Brighton, Eastbourne and Seaford. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.
Read more: Landowner Joint Ventures · Guide: Landowner joint ventures explained: sharing in the development