Why Now is the Time to Land-Bank for 2026–2028 Development Pipelines

The forward-thinking investor’s guide to securing tomorrow’s returns today.

The Market Looks Slow, So Why Are We Buying Land?

If you’re only looking at the short-term, 2025 might seem like a time to pause.

Interest rates are still high. Buyers are cautious. Materials costs have stabilised but not dropped significantly. Some developers are sitting tight, waiting for conditions to improve.

But we’re not sitting still.

We’re actively acquiring land. Not for builds this year, but for the pipelines of 2026 - 2028.

Why? Because that’s how smart development businesses are built. With foresight. With strategy. And with the patience to act when others hesitate.

Development Is a 2–3 Year Game, Not a 12-Month Flip

It’s easy to forget how long it takes to bring a site from acquisition to revenue.

Between the planning process, architectural design, legal due diligence, build team mobilisation, and pre-sales strategy, many projects take 18–30 months from land purchase to final sale.

That means the land you secure today is the project you deliver in 2027 or 2028.

And if you’re not land-banking now, you’re setting yourself up for an empty pipeline later - which means no revenue, no growth, and no returns for your investor base.

Why Now Is a Buyer’s Market for Land

Here’s what we’re seeing on the ground:

• Landowners are more flexible: With a slower resi market, many landowners are more open to realistic offers, conditional contracts, or deferred completions.

  
  

• Less competition from aggressive buyers: Institutional funds and new entrants are quieter. That gives us room to negotiate properly, and avoid bidding wars.

  
  

• Planning departments are still moving: Contrary to popular belief, many LPAs (Local Planning Authorities) are processing well-structured applications. Now’s the time to get in early and be ready for when things pick up.

  
  

This window won’t stay open forever. When confidence returns, so will competition. And prices.

Planning Gain + Market Timing

By acquiring now and working through planning over the next 12–18 months, we’re aiming to:

✅ Lock in sites at today’s lower land values

✅ Secure uplift through planning gain

✅ Launch into a stronger market in 2026–28

It’s a double win: value created through planning, and value realised through timing.

That’s how serious developers build wealth, and protect their investor capital. Not by chasing short-term trends, but by stacking strategy upon strategy.

What This Means for Our Investors

If you’re looking to deploy capital, you want to know that:

• Your money isn’t sitting in dead deals

• Your developer partner has a clear long-term pipeline

• Your returns are protected by smart acquisition, not just lucky timing

That’s exactly what our land-banking strategy offers.

We’re not in the business of rushing builds to chase a yield.

We’re in the business of building a pipeline that compounds returns and mitigates risk.

By securing land early, we give ourselves and our investors, more control, more optionality, and more time to make decisions.

The Best Time Was Yesterday. The Next Best Time Is Now.

If you’re looking to fund development in 2026–28, your window to secure land is now.

We’ve already said no to multiple short-term projects this year, not because they couldn’t be profitable, but because they don’t align with our long-term model.

Instead, we’re doubling down on pipeline planning, planning gain, and strategic acquisitions, laying the groundwork for 2026 and beyond.

Want to be part of that?

Get in touch to see our current land pipeline and investor options.