Blog

Major housing schemes now take over 300 days to get planning approval - a 75% increase in a decade - highlighting that delays, not refusals, are the real bottleneck in the UK planning system.

‍Searchland has a clear mission: to transform the way property professionals source sites. Here's the full story on where we come from and how we're helping developers across the UK.

The Renters Reform Bill presents the biggest shake-up England’s private rented sector has seen in decades. Expected to pass in 2025, Build to Rent (BTR) and Private Rented Sector (PRS) developers will need to rethink everything from unit design and management strategies to how they navigate the planning process.

You’ve probably heard all about how the high street is taking a beating from online retailers. Well, in a surprising trend reversal, we’re now seeing major e-commerce brands expanding into physical spaces. 

The commercial data partnership you’ve been waiting for is here. Access on-market commercial property sales, lettings, leasehold and completed deal listings along with rich property data exclusively in Searchland

It’s the Biodiversity Net Gain Proptech partnership you’ve been waiting for! Together with GAIA, the UK's leading BNG marketplace, we've developed a comprehensive and cutting-edge tool to transform how you engage with BNG projects.

Remember when finding development sites meant endless hours driving around neighbourhoods and sifting through old planning records? Finding those hidden gems took hours of work and a stroke of luck. Well, those days are over.

The post-COVID shift to hybrid working has left thousands of office buildings at low occupancy or totally empty. Meanwhile, the high street continues to struggle, and the UK still faces a major housing shortage.

What is greenfield land? This often used planning term does not even have an official definition in NPPF guidelines. Here we explore where it fits in the planning landscape, including pros and cons for development on both urban and rural greenfield sites. With some strategic thinking, and access to the right data, greenfield can present a viable development prospect.

The most successful property developers have one thing in common. They all know how to find the best opportunities before they hit the market. In today’s competitive property landscape, waiting for properties to be listed publicly often means missing out on the best deals.

Finding suitable land for development takes more than just luck. It requires a strategic, data-driven approach. Whether you’re a seasoned developed or just starting out, you’ll find a new way to source UK development opportunities right here.

Recent industry data reveals a £360 billion retrofit opportunity emerging in the UK property market. By 2050, over 29 million homes will require significant upgrades to meet strict new energy efficiency regulations coming into force. Retrofit development will quickly evolve from a niche concern to a major market opportunity.

Sourcing and appraising development land in the UK requires using multiple site sourcing tools, from checking land ownership and planning history to assessing flood risk, environmental constraints, and site boundaries.

Padel court development is booming across the UK, with planning applications up 113% in 2024. At Searchland, we've uncovered nearly 17,000 sites ready for padel investment. Here's where the real opportunity lies for landowners, developers and investors.

The UK’s Clean Power 2030 target—95% low-carbon electricity by the end of the decade - is reshaping the renewable energy landscape. But with grid congestion, planning hurdles, and soaring land competition, sourcing the right sites has never been tougher.

Well things have certainly changed since we wrote this article in early 2024. Not only do we now have a new Labour-led government but some huge changes to energy policy too. We'll keep the old stuff here for preservation and update the story as it develops.

Demand for electric vehicle charging sites is growing exponentially. Here we explore some of the best opportunities for developers, for building the future network of EV charge points in the UK.

The UK is facing a housing crisis of unprecedented proportions, with a deficit of 4.3 million homes and a projected increase in households to 26.9 million by 2043. To tackle this issue, Brickflow has released a white paper which delves deep into the problem and offers recommendations for a way forward.

Searchland’s Planning Tool brings together 23 million+ UK applications into one searchable, filterable, map-based platform - so land and planning teams can quantify authority behaviour, assess risk properly, and move with confidence instead of instinct.

Developers move fastest when data, insight, and decisions live in one place. Searchland’s new appraisal tool delivers exactly that - turning the entire acquisition workflow into a single, seamless motion.

Messy titles. Confusing occupancies. Disconnected data. The Buildings tool gives you a clear view of what’s really inside any structure - with searchable insights across every building in the UK.

Sourcing elderly care and care home opportunities just got easier. Searchland’s new Elderly care tool gives Searchland users deep insights into 11,000+ care homes, making area analysis and opportunity spotting faster than ever.

For the first time, get visibility on land sale prices helping you understand uplift, spot opportunity, and compare land values with context.

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) are now live on Searchland, allowing you to explore significant planning projects across England, Scotland, and Wales as you scout potential development opportunities.