An opportunity to invest in Strategic Land prior to planning consent. via a UK based investment fund. Available to buy personally or through certain Self Invested Pension Plans. Options from £10,000.

The value of land in the UK has increased significantly over time. According to the Government Valuation Office report in 2009, residential building land has increased in value 400% since the spring of 1994, even taking into account the recent decline in values.

In addition to general land value growth, any land that obtains a change of use from agricultural to building land will see a significant rise in value. This increase can be as much as 1,300% and has led to a whole industry being built up around finding suitable land sites and working to gain a change of use to building land with full planning permission.

Developers, landowners, valuers, planning-consultants, surveyors, entrepreneurs and others are constantly looking to strategically acquire land that can be bought at the pre-planning stage and progressed towards residential land, prior to selling on and reaping the rewards.

The current financial climate means that cash-flows are tight for developers and house builders alike. Banks are now less likely to lend on large scale development projects and the large house builders are placing their development plans on hold until property prices show some significant signs of recovery and lending criteria eases up.

Companies that have %u2018land-banked%u2019 in the past are now looking to off-load sites, to release much needed equity, and this is creating an opportunity for savvy investors to make the most of this unique climate.

It is important, however, to understand exactly where the land is, both geographically and in terms of planning application status. This is because unscrupulous companies and individuals have offered plots for sale in the past that have no realistic option of planning consent in the future. Consequently, Olive Tree has selected a site close to their head offices in Swindon, they have compiled a dossier of information showing details of the work carried out so far, to help achieve planning approval.

Land has the following attributes making it attractive to a wide range of investors:-

a)      Value is likely to increase over time and, unlike shares, always has some value

b)      Rental incomes are possible in addition to capital growth

c)      Investing in the land%u2019s development/infrastructure adds value to the land

Generally, %u2018Strategic Land Opportunities%u2019 are the domain of specialist professional investment groups such as large funds, national house builders, banks and wealthy property developers. The current financial climate means that cash is much more difficult to come by and therefore, some landowners are thinking %u2018outside the box%u2019 in trying to attract smaller sums from a wider group of investors.

Opportunity

Olive Tree has been using its specialist contacts in the property world to assess dozens of potential property opportunities for its network of Partners in the UK. The Strategic Land Fund is the third %u2018land deal%u2019 that Olive Tree has selected, the first two both being fully subscribed within weeks of launch.

We believe that this opportunity is an exciting alternative to stocks and shares. It will appeal to investors looking for potentially very high returns, that are prepared to take a long term view and have a higher than average attitude to risk.

The Land

The site is made up of around 100 acres and is on the outskirts of Swindon close to the main M4 %u2013 M5 link road (A419). This road has been recently widened and improved, by-passing some of the outlying villages of Swindon to make the M4 %u2013 M5 link quicker.

Surrounding the land is the A419 to the south, fields to the north and west and a hotel and golf course to the south-eastern boundary. The vision for the landowner is to develop a quality, sustainable development of up to 1,000 accessible and affordable new homes with schooling, neighbourhood centre and green areas. A planning brief has been professionally produced to show this development.

The current draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the south west identifies Swindon as a key regional growth area.

The site is situated within Swindon%u2019s Principal Urban Area (PUA) which identifies an area of land around Swindon where future development will be considered. The land is being promoted through the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) as well as together wthe Swindon Borough Local Development Framework (Swindon LDF).The RSS identifies a need to accommodate 37,200 new homes over the next 20 years. If successful, hundreds of new homes together with open space and services/facilities required to support this amount of additional housing could be created, subject to planning consent.

Please speak to Olive Tree for more details and a brochure explaining the opportunity and likely timescales.

Tel: 0845 257 0227