From Site to Profit: The 6-Step Playbook for Planning Gain

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From Site to Profit: The 6-Step Playbook for Planning Gain
From Site to Profit: The 6-Step Playbook for Planning Gain
If you’ve been following along, we’ve already talked about the types of sites you should be targeting.
Now comes the juicy part—how you actually go from “hmm, this land looks interesting” to cashing in on a planning gain.
Here’s the 6-step playbook that turns dirt into deals:
1. Spot the opportunity (without leaving your desk)
This is where it all starts. You’re basically a digital detective—scanning maps, listings, and local plans to see if a site could work. No need to waste time walking fields yet. A few hours of desktop research will tell you if it’s a “move forward” or “move on.”
2. Reach out to the landowner
Forget waiting for brokers or middlemen. The direct approach works best.
Most people send a standard letter to the landowner, introducing themselves and planting the seed of a deal. If you’re bold, you can pick up the phone or even knock on the door. Simple, but powerful.
3. Do the math
Once you get a nibble from the landowner, it’s calculator time.
What’s the site worth? What’s the potential uplift once planning is secured? You need to crunch the numbers and make sure the deal stacks. No rose-tinted glasses here—this is about hard figures, not hope.
4. Lock it down with a £1 option agreement
Here’s the clever bit: you don’t actually need to buy the land outright.
Instead, you negotiate an option agreement. For the grand sum of £1, you get control of the site for up to 24 months. That window gives you time to work your magic without the upfront risk of ownership.
5. Win planning permission
Planning is the gatekeeper to profit.
A 24-month option period buys you enough time to handle applications, consultations, and any hiccups the council throws your way. It’s not always smooth sailing—but once permission is in place, the site’s value can skyrocket overnight.
6. Cash in on the planning gain
This is the moment all the hard graft pays off.
With planning secured, you can:
  • Develop the scheme yourself, or
  • Flip the site to a developer for a tidy profit (our recommended route if you want to keep the machine moving).
Either way, this is where dirt becomes gold.
The bottom line:
Finding and profiting from sites isn’t about luck—it’s about process.
Follow these 6 steps consistently, and you’ll start spotting opportunities others miss… and more importantly, turning them into real gains.
Over the next few weeks we’ll expand on all these six stages.