Manorwest field guide · Early-stage site appraisal
Development site due diligence: an early deliverability checklist
A site’s headline capacity is only a starting point. The practical question is whether the evidence, costs, infrastructure, planning context and delivery route can align with the intended programme.
This checklist helps landowners and development teams organise the first commercial questions. It does not replace planning, legal, valuation, engineering, environmental or financial advice; it helps identify where that specialist input may be needed.
1. Confirm what the opportunity actually is
- Map the site boundary and the land interests included in the opportunity.
- Establish the landowner’s objectives, decision timetable and any known agreements or stakeholder dependencies.
- Separate confirmed facts from assumptions: ownership, access rights, planning status and constraints should be checked with the relevant advisers.
2. Understand planning context and likely capacity
- Review the current planning position, relevant local plan context and any previous applications or decisions.
- Consider whether access, layout, heritage, ecology, trees, amenity or neighbouring uses could influence the developable area.
- Do not treat an illustrative layout or allocation as planning consent or a guarantee of delivery within a plan period.
Planning interpretation and application strategy should be confirmed by a suitably qualified planning professional.
3. Identify infrastructure and site constraints
Access and movement
Check how a site could connect to the existing network, what improvements may be required and who may be responsible for delivering them.
Utilities and drainage
Identify known capacity, connection and attenuation questions. Early estimates should be treated as provisional until supported by provider and technical evidence.
Ground and ecology
Review historic uses and available surveys. Consider whether ground investigation, contamination assessment, ecology or invasive-species surveys need to inform the programme.
4. Test costs, value and timing together
Viability can be affected by several dependencies at once. Test the relationship between anticipated receipts, build costs, abnormal works, infrastructure, planning obligations, affordable housing, funding, contingency and phasing. Record the source and confidence level for each major assumption.
Ask what changes if a key survey identifies additional work, a utility connection takes longer, an infrastructure contribution changes, or a delivery partner needs a different phasing strategy. The purpose is to show sensitivities and evidence gaps—not to present uncertain numbers as a guaranteed land value.
Use the free preliminary development appraisal calculator for an initial screening exercise. It provides an indicative result, not a site-specific professional appraisal.
5. Turn the review into a proportionate next step
- List the most material risks and who can verify each one.
- Prioritise surveys and enquiries that could change the decision, cost plan or programme.
- Agree a realistic sequence for planning, technical work, partner discussions and funding.
- Set a review point once better evidence is available.
Early appraisal is useful when it helps a client decide what to investigate, what to defer and what route merits further work. A proportionate review should make its limits, assumptions and next actions explicit.
Need an early commercial view?
Manorwest provides scoped opportunity reviews and development advice for landowners and project teams across Yorkshire and suitable UK opportunities. Tell us the site location, project stage and decision you need to make.
Contact Manorwest — info@manorwest.co.uk