Land Promotion Agreements in Christchurch
Promotion agreements are often used for larger sites in Christchurch that need a plan allocation or a major planning application. The agreement sets a term, a minimum price, the promoter's fee and how costs are recovered. Land to Homes explains each term in plain English and pays your reasonable legal fees, agreed up front in the heads of terms.
Christchurch · BH23Free site appraisal
Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.
- 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 Christchurch
Christchurch (BH23) is one of the Dorset towns we cover, about 4 miles east of Bournemouth. If your land sits between towns, Bournemouth, New Milton and Poole are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Within England, Christchurch falls in the South West region.
Sites worth a conversation around Christchurch: backland plots with a workable access, land behind street frontages and paddocks on the edge of Christchurch. Because Christchurch is in England, land titles are registered with HM Land Registry and transfers attract Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).
If you own land near Christchurch, the first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal.
What you get in Christchurch
Open-market sale
Once planning is secured, the land is marketed to housebuilders and other buyers, usually through an agent. The aim is genuine competition between bidders, rather than reliance on a single valuation figure.
Strategic planning work
Larger sites often need representations to the development plan, studies on transport, drainage and ecology, and engagement with the local community. We manage that work and report progress to you.
Retained land protected
If you keep neighbouring land, the agreement can secure access and services to it, so the new scheme does not cut off the rest of your holding or limit its future use.
Minimum price agreed early
The agreement sets a floor below which you cannot be required to sell. Some agreements allow it to be reviewed by an independent surveyor if the market moves during the term.
The English system, as it applies in Christchurch
In England, most planning applications for new homes in Christchurch are decided by the local planning authority, usually the council, using its Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. Many landowners sell without planning, either outright or through an option or promotion agreement that funds the application first. Land to Homes offers a free site appraisal, pays your reasonable legal fees on option and promotion agreements, and can buy suitable sites directly, subject to survey, title and contract.
In England, promotion usually focuses on getting land allocated in a Local Plan, or permitted where the council cannot show enough land for housing. Larger schemes often go in as outline applications, and the heads of terms should explain how Section 106 obligations, the Community Infrastructure Levy and biodiversity net gain costs affect the net proceeds.
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority) |
|---|---|
| In-principle consent | Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later |
| 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 Christchurch
Who pays if the planning application fails?
On a Land to Homes promotion agreement there is nothing to pay upfront. We fund the planning work, and our costs are recovered from the sale proceeds only if the land sells with planning. How costs are treated in every scenario is written into the heads of terms before you sign anything.
Can a promotion agreement cover land owned by several people?
Yes. Neighbours, family members or trustees can sign one agreement, or linked agreements, often with a separate arrangement for sharing proceeds between them. This makes it easier to bring forward a larger site with a single planning strategy. Our land assembly page explains how sharing usually works.
What fee does a land promoter take?
The fee is usually a share of the sale proceeds, sometimes calculated after costs are deducted and sometimes capped. There is no standard rate: it depends on the size of the site, the planning risk and the costs involved. Ask for the fee and the cost rules to be set out clearly in the heads of terms.
How does a land promotion agreement work?
The landowner and promoter sign an agreement for a set term. The promoter funds and runs the planning process. If permission is granted, the land is sold on the open market, provided offers meet an agreed minimum price. From the proceeds, the promoter recovers its costs and takes an agreed fee, and the landowner receives the balance.
Is Christchurch an area you cover for land?
Yes, we cover land in Christchurch and elsewhere in Dorset, including Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. 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: Land Promotion Agreements · Guide: Planning permission explained for landowners