Abacus Housing:
We are looking for an experienced Land & Development Consultant on a freelance / ad-hoc basis.
Please note – this is not a trainee or junior role.
Abacus Housing is a small but growing land and development company focused on planning uplift for:
* Backland schemes
* Land assemblies
* Specialist care and residential sites
Our longer-term aim is to secure and develop sites for 30–36 bed specialist care homes. This is an exciting opportunity to join and develop with the company as it grows.
Minimum requirement:
You must have prior experience in land/development appraisal for a housebuilder, developer, housing association, or development consultancy.
You should also have experience appraising sites from c.3 residential units up to 30+ units to c.2 care homes, or similar sites from c.0.5 acres upwards.
Key Responsibilities
* Review potential sites and provide expert analysis and insight into planning routes and best-use options.
* Assess development potential, including access, capacity, planning policy and site constraints, and likely planning risk.
* Propose indicative schemes (e.g. number and type of units, care home vs residential mixes, bungalows, flats, commercial where appropriate).
* Prepare high-level feasibility studies, including GDV estimates and residual appraisals.
* Research comparables, local values and planning history.
* Work with external planning consultants, architects and other professionals to refine layouts and strategies where sites look viable.
* Present clear "go / no-go" recommendations so time and money are only spent on sites with real potential.
You Will Need
* To be available on a flexible, ad-hoc basis to review sites as they arise and provide clear recommendations within agreed timescales.
* Proven experience in land appraisal / development feasibility (e.g. housebuilder, HA, developer or development consultancy background).
* Strong numeracy and the ability to run residual land valuations, GDV and basic sensitivity checks, including developer profit (pre/post finance) and residual land value / land offer calculations.
* A good understanding of development costs and capital stack (land, build, fees, finance, profit) where Abacus Housing may choose to develop out sites.
* Working understanding of UK planning policy and how LPAs think about access, density, character and local allocations, including the ability to research local demand (e.g. via LA Market Position Statements).
* Ability to read and interpret site plans, title plans and basic technical drawings.
* The judgement to know when and which professionals are required (e.g. planning consultants, engineers, highways, ecology) and how to brief them.
* Pragmatic, commercial judgement – able to say quickly whether a site stacks or doesn't, whether to progress to pre-app, and whether planning is likely or unlikely to be secured.
* Comfort working with a small, entrepreneurial company where decisions are quick and information is sometimes incomplete.
In short, you'll be the person who can look at a site and quickly say whether it has legs or should be dropped.
Job Type: Freelance
Pay: £300.00-£500.00 per day
Benefits:
* Work from home
Application question(s):
* Q1. Do you have direct experience appraising land for housing or mixed-use development (e.g. for a housebuilder, HA, developer or consultancy)?
Yes / No
* Q2. What is your expected day rate for consultancy work of this nature?
* Q3. You are assessing a site for 8 houses.
Estimated GDV: £3.2m
Total development cost (build, fees, finance, contingency, etc.): £2.4m
In no more than 3 sentences, explain how you would think about the residual land value and what else you would want to check before recommending an offer.
* Q4. Share details of a site you've worked on in the last 3–5 years:
a) Site type and location
b) Your initial unit mix and density assumptions
c) How you approached GDV and residual
d) What made you recommend 'go' or 'no-go'
Work Location: In person