Planning Permission and Strategy in Clwyd
If you own land in Clwyd and want to know whether homes could get planning permission, the answer starts with policy, not plans. We look at what the development plan says, what has been approved or refused nearby and what surveys the site needs. On promotion agreements we fund that work, and we never promise an outcome we cannot control.
ClwydFree 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
Sites we take on near Clwyd
We cover 8 places across Clwyd: Wrexham is the main one, alongside Rhyl, Hawarden and Flint. Next door, we also cover Gwynedd, Powys and Dyfed. Clwyd is close to our head office in Great Barr, Birmingham.
Projects we can take on around Clwyd include sites where the layout needs to change, schemes that need redesigning to work and fields that need a masterplan before an application. Planning in Clwyd follows Wales’s rules: Planning Policy Wales sets national policy and the council’s Local Development Plan sets local policy.
If you have a site near Clwyd that is stuck, a short call is the best place to start.
Our approach in Clwyd
Your legal fees covered
On option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees, with the amount agreed in the heads of terms before you instruct a solicitor.
Planned around buildable homes
As part of the S&K Group, a construction and property group, we shape schemes around homes that can be built and delivered, not just consented.
Technical work commissioned
Ecology, drainage, highways, flood risk, heritage and ground conditions, as the site requires. We brief each consultant and check their findings against the planning case.
Policy first
We start with the development plan, national policy and the planning history of the site, so the strategy rests on what the council will actually test the application against.
The Welsh system, as it applies in Clwyd
In Wales, planning applications for new homes in Clwyd are decided by the local planning authority, usually the county or county borough council, using its Local Development Plan, Planning Policy Wales and Future Wales: the National Plan 2040. Landowners can sell outright or through an option or promotion agreement in which the planning work is funded for them and recovered only from a sale with planning. Land to Homes offers a free site appraisal and covers your reasonable legal fees on option and promotion agreements.
In Wales, decisions follow Planning Policy Wales, Future Wales and the council's Local Development Plan. Major developments need statutory pre-application consultation with the community before an application is submitted, and most new developments also need separate approval for sustainable drainage from the local SuDS approving body, which we plan for from the start.
| National planning policy | Planning Policy Wales (Edition 12) and Future Wales: the National Plan 2040, supported by Technical Advice Notes |
|---|---|
| Local planning document | Local Development Plan (LDP) |
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the county or county borough council (or a national park authority) |
| In-principle consent | Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later |
| Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer) | Land Transaction Tax (LTT) |
| Land registration | HM Land Registry |
| How a sale becomes binding | As in England, a land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, with the title registered at HM Land Registry. |
| Developer contributions | Section 106 planning obligations, plus the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) where the council has adopted it |
Common questions in Clwyd
What is the difference between outline and full planning permission?
Outline permission establishes whether development is acceptable in principle, with some or all of the details, known as reserved matters, left for a later application. Full permission approves the detailed scheme in one go. Outline is often used to secure the principle on land before it is sold. In Scotland the equivalent of outline is planning permission in principle.
Who pays for a planning application?
Normally whoever makes the application pays the council fee and the cost of the surveys and reports. Under a promotion agreement with Land to Homes, we fund the planning work, and those costs are only recovered from the sale proceeds if the land sells with planning permission. On a direct purchase without planning, the planning cost and risk become ours.
How do I find out if my land could get planning permission?
Start with the council's development plan, which shows where new homes are supported, and the planning history of the site and its surroundings. Access, flood risk, ecology and heritage also matter. Our free site appraisal reviews these factors and tells you plainly whether we think the land has prospects, and which route to planning would suit it.
Can you guarantee planning permission?
No. Nobody can guarantee planning permission, because the decision rests with the planning authority or, on appeal, an independent appeal body. What we can do is choose sites with genuine prospects, prepare a thorough application and deal with likely objections before they arise. If we think a site is unlikely to succeed, we will tell you.
Can you manage a site in Clwyd from planning to build?
On land we take forward ourselves across Clwyd, including Colwyn Bay, Hawarden and Deeside, we manage planning, design and construction. Tell us about the site and we will explain how we would approach it.
Read more: Planning Permission and Strategy · Guide: Selling part of your garden: what you need to know