Joint venture for land in Berkshire
You contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed.
A landowner joint venture is a partnership where the owner contributes land and we fund and manage planning and delivery, with the proceeds shared on an agreed basis after agreed costs are recovered. It can unlock more value than a sale but involves more risk, longer timescales and closer involvement.
Joint venture for land in Berkshire
Considering a joint venture for land in Berkshire? Here is how it works and where it fits. Berkshire is a string of large towns along the Thames Valley, including Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Wokingham, with Newbury and smaller villages to the west. The east of the county is heavily constrained by the Metropolitan Green Belt, while the west falls partly within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Sites that come forward are often brownfield and town-centre land, edge-of-settlement fields and possible grey belt on the Green Belt fringe.
The Elizabeth line, the Great Western Main Line and the M4 make many Berkshire settlements well connected, which matters under England's revised planning policy on locations near stations. Older office and commercial buildings in the larger towns, and paddocks and smallholdings on village edges, are common sources of smaller residential sites.
In England, a planning permission normally has to be implemented within three years unless the council sets a different period, and councils aim to decide minor applications within eight weeks and major ones within thirteen.
English councils keep brownfield land registers, and some previously developed sites can be granted permission in principle, a quicker way of establishing whether housing is acceptable before technical details are settled.
Parts of Berkshire are Green Belt, though not every town has any nearby. We check early whether a site is inside it and, if so, whether a grey belt or previously developed land case could apply.
Parts of Berkshire fall within North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Protected landscapes carry strong policy protection, so land in or next to them needs particularly careful assessment.
In short: you contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed. It usually suits owners of larger or well-located sites; landowners who want a long-term interest; sites where a sale would undervalue the long-term potential. See how a joint venture works for the full process, pros and cons.
Land in Berkshire that often suits a joint venture
WantedLand with planning permission
We are interested in sites with planning across the Reading area, including smaller consents that larger housebuilders may pass over. An option if you would rather share in the build than sell outright.
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WantedLand without planning permission
Near Reading, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan. For owners who want a bigger share of the upside in return for more risk.
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WantedBrownfield land
Former works, depots and yards in and around Reading can make good housing sites once the ground and neighbouring uses are understood. Can work where the owner wants to share in a redevelopment.
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WantedStrategic land
Around Reading, strategic sites tend to be the big fields between the built edge and the main roads, where a whole new neighbourhood could be planned. For owners who want a closer partnership and a share of the profit.
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WantedCommercial and industrial sites
Older business land around Reading, especially units now surrounded by housing, is the kind of commercial site we would like to discuss. Can suit owners who want to share in a redevelopment.
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WantedGarage courts and yards
Garage courts tucked behind homes in Reading are often ideal for a small number of new houses or bungalows. Possible for groups of courts.
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WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
Sites around Reading with an old refusal can be worth a second look, especially where local or national policy has since changed. Possible where owners want to share the upside of a better scheme.
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WantedAllocated and promoted land
If your land near Reading appears in the council's plan or its site assessments, send us the reference; it changes the conversation. For owners of larger allocations who want to share in delivery.
Learn moreTowns we cover in Berkshire
Joint venture: questions
Do I need to put money in?
Not usually. In most landowner joint ventures the land is the owner's contribution and we fund the costs, which are recovered from the proceeds before profit is shared. Structures vary.
How are profits shared?
By agreement. Common models include a priority return for the land followed by a share of profit.
Is a joint venture right for me?
It suits owners comfortable with more risk and a longer timescale. We will say if a sale or option looks a better fit.
Do you use joint ventures for land in Berkshire?
Yes. We use joint ventures across Berkshire and the rest of England, where the structure suits the site and the owner.