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Richard Watkins

New law will end “sanction to squeeze and disregard for daylight”, says Aston Mead

 370 230 Aston Mead Land and Planning | Land with development potential across Surrey

Leading land agent Aston Mead has welcomed the national space requirements which will be imposed on all new houses delivered through Permitted Development Rights (PDR) from this April.

Since 2013, developers have been able to change existing office and light-industrial buildings into homes without the need to go through a full planning application. Instead, such houses have a lighter-touch ‘prior approval’ process, which considerably speeds up their delivery.

Aston Mead Land & Planning Director Richard Watkins said: “We’ve been calling for a speedier, smoother, fast-track planning procedure for years. But, crucially, this should not come at the expense of adequate space and light. Sadly, there are a minority of developers out there who have been abusing the system. These new rules should end their sanction to squeeze-in as many homes as possible, and their disregard for daylight.

“Make no mistake – these shoe box-style homes are substandard. You wouldn’t even find this lack of space in a budget hotel, so why anyone would believe they are suitable for people to live in is beyond me.”

The new standards set out the minimum floorspace allowed for various configurations of new home – starting at 37 square metres for a studio flat and 50 square metres for a flat with a double bedroom.

However, a recent report from University College London and the University of Liverpool found that fewer than one in four dwellings created through permitted development would meet nationally described space standards.

Richard Watkins added: “It may only be a minority of developers who are abusing the system – but unfortunately it accounts for a majority of PDR homes out there.”

“This has become even more important during lockdown when people have been stuck indoors for days on end. Indeed, the lasting legacy of the pandemic will be the increase in the number of people working from home in the future. This means more redundant offices are likely to be converted into residential accommodation – so setting minimum space requirements will become even more important.

“What’s more, building societies and lenders are now paying closer attention to this issue, and poorly-converted offices in the wrong locations are struggling to get loans against them. And if you can’t get mortgages, you can’t sell them.

“Now we want to see these minimum standards apply to all new homes – even those outside the PRD sector, where, bizarrely, they are still optional. Adequate space and light should be a given in the 21st Century. It’s a minimum possible standard and the least we should expect from developers. And this new law will ensure they have to provide it.”

Natasha Aston Mead

Sell land now to avoid higher taxes later, say Aston Mead

 370 230 Aston Mead Land and Planning | Land with development potential across Surrey

Leading land agents Aston Mead are advising anyone who is considering selling land to do so as soon as possible, before the UK government introduces tax rises to help pay for the Coronavirus crisis.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has already warned that “hard choices” will need to be made, after the state pumped over £200bn extra into the economy to support jobs, business and incomes. Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said borrowing will hit levels not previously seen in peacetime, which will mean that tax rises of more than £40bn a year are “all but inevitable”.

Aston Mead Land Consultant Natasha Burr said “Make no mistake – when the Chancellor talks about ‘hard choices’, he’s talking about tax rises. And as one of the largest sectors of the UK economy, he is likely to see property transactions as low-hanging fruit, ripe for picking.

“So if you have land to sell, and want to avoid any additional taxes, we would advise you to do so sooner rather than later. After all, at the moment, selling-off part of your garden can be carried out completely tax-free. But there are no guarantees the situation will stay that way.”

Natasha Burr points out that previous Conservative manifesto commitments might prevent raises to the three biggest taxes – income tax, national insurance and VAT, which currently bring in more than half of government revenue.

She adds: “At the moment, state pensions are protected by a so-called ‘triple lock’, which guarantees they rise with wages, prices, or 2.5% every year, whichever is highest. Cutting spending might be difficult too – especially on health when the NHS has been pushed to its limits during the pandemic.

“But one tax noticeable by its absence in this list is Capital Gains Tax (CGT). The Chancellor could decide to align rates more closely with income tax – something which could theoretically raise an additional £14bn a year for the exchequer. Similarly, there are suggestions that the annual tax-free amount could drop to as little as £1,000. Both of these measures would have a huge impact on the finances of those selling land.

“Finally, of course, there is of course the option of a new tax. There could be a Covid-19 levy on payslips and tax returns which could be created to pay off the virus debt – something which would probably last for decades.

“The truth is – nobody knows how big the final Covid bill is going to be, and nobody knows what measures will be taken to pay for it. But the easy solution to avoid any future tax rises is to sell land now to avoid a nasty surprise later.

“Recognising that getting planning permission on any proposed area of land can take some considerable time, if you want to squeeze the maximum out of your next investment decision by selling land, you need expert advice now. And we’re happy to provide it.”