Land Promotion FAQs

Carden Group is led by Steve Morgan CBE, founder and former Chairman of Redrow Homes, and Will Heath, former Redrow Group Development Director. Together, they bring decades of housebuilding and land promotion experience, supported by substantial financial resources.

Our Planning Director, Martyn Twigg, adds further expertise, having previously served as Planning Director at Gladman Developments, giving us unrivalled capability in securing planning consents quickly and efficiently.

With Carden Group, landowners benefit from a highly experienced, well-capitalised team that moves fast, carries all risk, and is focused on maximising the value of your land. No other promoter combines speed, expertise, and security quite like us.

Carden Group is privately owned and fully funded by Steve Morgan CBE, enabling us to finance the entire land promotion process in-house. We do not rely on external investors or short-term funding structures.

For landowners, this provides complete confidence that your site is supported by a financially secure, long-term partner capable of funding complex planning strategies, technical surveys and extended timescales without pressure.

We operate with a lean, senior-led decision-making structure. Without layers of management or committee approval, we can assess opportunities quickly and provide clear feedback at pace.

This results in faster responses, smoother transactions and greater certainty for landowners and agents alike.

Our principal office is based at Bridgemere House, Preston Brook, Cheshire, with regional offices supporting our nationwide operations, including Olney and Buckinghamshire. We work with landowners across England and are always happy to meet at your property, your office, or another convenient location. We pride ourselves on being flexible and straightforward, and we’re happy to work around your schedule.

Land promotion is the process of securing planning permission on land before it is sold to a housebuilder or developer. By unlocking planning consent, land promotion can significantly increase the value of land, often by several times.

Carden Group manages the entire planning and technical process, funding all costs and taking on all associated risks. Once planning permission is secured, the land is sold on the open market to achieve the best possible price, giving landowners a simple, hassle-free way to maximise their land’s value.

No. We specialise exclusively in land promotion and planning. Once planning permission is secured, we sell the site to a professional housebuilder or developer, working closely with them to ensure the homes are delivered to the highest standards. This approach allows us to concentrate on what we do best, creating well-positioned, consented sites, while giving you confidence that your land will be developed responsibly and to a high quality, ensuring the best commercial outcome.

We generally focus on sites of 10 acres or more, where our planning expertise and strategic approach can add the greatest value.

However, we also consider smaller parcels of land, particularly where neighbouring landowners may wish to collaborate to form a larger, more viable development opportunity.

We are actively seeking land opportunities across England, including strategic greenfield sites, edge-of-settlement land, and urban regeneration opportunities with residential or mixed-use development potential. Wherever your site is, we’re well placed to assess its potential quickly and provide clear, commercially focused advice on how best to unlock its value.

We offer a highly flexible approach, tailored to suit your objectives and timescales. We will structure agreements in three main ways: 

• Outright purchase – a straightforward sale with immediate certainty.
• Option agreements – providing a guaranteed buyer following planning success.
• Promotion agreements – maximising land value through open market sale.

This flexibility sets us apart from many developers. For landowners, it means you can benefit from our expertise and investment without paying a penny or taking on any risk, while enjoying options that maximise the value of your land.

A promotion agreement allows Carden Group to manage and fund the planning process before selling the land on the open market. This competitive sales strategy typically achieves the highest possible land value, with sale proceeds shared between the landowner and promoter.

An option agreement gives Carden Group the right to purchase your land once planning permission has been secured. You retain ownership until the option is exercised, while we fund and manage the planning process.

No. Carden Group covers all costs associated with land promotion, including planning applications, technical surveys, professional fees and legal costs. Landowners pay nothing and carry no financial risk.

Timescales vary depending on the complexity of the site and local planning authority policies, but typically range from 18 months to several years. Our expertise ensures that planning strategies are carefully structured to minimise delays and maximise success.