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For landowners · South Glamorgan

Landowner Joint Ventures in Cardiff

Can I enter a joint venture on land in Cardiff?

Joint ventures in Cardiff suit landowners who can wait for their money and are comfortable with uncertainty. Your land becomes part of a development, with Land to Homes, part of the S&K Group, running planning and construction. How costs, profit, decisions and any lender's security over the land are handled is all set out in the agreement.

Development surveyor walking a field boundary hedge with a tabletCardiff · CF5

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Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.

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  • Free site appraisalNo cost, no obligation
  • Legal fees coveredReasonable fees, on options and promotion
  • Nothing to pay upfrontOn promotion: we fund planning
  • Direct purchaseSuitable sites, with or without planning
  • UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI

Land and sites near Cardiff

Cardiff (CF5) anchors our coverage of South Glamorgan, which takes in 2 other places. Close by, our coverage also takes in Penarth, Caerphilly and Barry.

Sites worth a conversation around Cardiff: backland plots with a workable access, redundant commercial buildings and land behind street frontages. Because Cardiff is in Wales, land titles are registered with HM Land Registry and transfers attract Land Transaction Tax (LTT).

If you own land near Cardiff, the first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal.

Our approach in Cardiff

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.

Sale or rent agreed together

Homes can be built for sale, for rent, or as affordable housing with a council or housing association. The mix affects risk and when money comes back, so it is agreed before work starts.

Land value agreed first

Your land is valued at the outset so everyone knows what it contributes. That figure often sets an entitlement paid to you before any profit is shared, which is a key protection in most structures.

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 Cardiff: the Welsh rules

Drainage has its own approval in Wales. Most new developments of more than one home, or with 100 square metres or more of construction area, need sustainable drainage approval from the council's SuDS Approving Body, separate from planning permission, before building starts. For land around Cardiff, that shapes layout and how many homes fit, so our free site appraisal looks at it alongside access, Local Development Plan policy and the biodiversity requirements of Planning Policy Wales.

In Wales, a joint venture scheme must work within the Local Development Plan and Planning Policy Wales, and most schemes need SuDS approving body approval before construction. Affordable homes delivered with housing associations may need to meet Welsh Government design standards. Moving land into a company can attract Land Transaction Tax, collected by the Welsh Revenue Authority.

Key rules in Cardiff
In-principle consentOutline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer)Land Transaction Tax (LTT)
Land registrationHM Land Registry
How a sale becomes bindingAs in England, a land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, with the title registered at HM Land Registry.

Common questions in Cardiff

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 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.

What is a landowner joint venture?

It is an arrangement where a landowner and a developer pool what they have to deliver a development. The landowner usually contributes the land, and the developer contributes expertise, management and access to funding. Instead of a fixed price at the start, the landowner shares in the outcome once homes are sold or let, under agreed terms.

Is Cardiff an area you cover for land?

Yes, we cover land in Cardiff and elsewhere in South Glamorgan, including Barry and Penarth. Where a site suits us we can buy it directly, or set up an option or promotion agreement. On promotion there is nothing to pay upfront.

Read more: Landowner Joint Ventures · Guide: Option agreement or promotion agreement: what is the difference?

Landowner Joint Ventures elsewhere in South Glamorgan

Own land that could take new homes?

Start with a free, no-obligation site appraisal. On option and promotion agreements we fund the planning work and pay your reasonable legal fees.

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