Owning your own home

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ReekBlefs in reply to @greeno
You're not on the Lea Bridge Road are you? We're in the same position in a similar block. Here's what we found out.
1. If you're the freehold owner, you can block any planning permission, but buying a freehold is a long term solution - planning permission is a short term problem
2. If they're granted planning permission it's very likely that that will increase the value of the freehold, making it more difficult for you to actively buy it. The solicitors we spoke to suggested that this is one of the main reasons freeholders are looking into this now, since the planned leasehold reforms are likely to fuck a lot of their revenue streams, so they're looking to get out.
3. However (and check this as I'm not 100%) I believe if the freeholder decides to sell it, they have to offer it to you as part of the Right Of First Refusal for no more than they paid for it. This is one of the reasons it might be better to wait, and block planning permission through other routes.
4. If you do go down this route I can recommend a planning expert who wrote a report for us and plans to present it to the planning committee on why they shouldn't grant permission.
5. Thank god we live in 1930s blocks because if the block was built after 1960something they wouldn't need to apply for planning permission at all.

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bobble in reply to @ReekBlefs

Thank god we live in 1930s blocks because if the block was built after 1960something they wouldn't need to apply for planning permission at all.

why is that out of interest?

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leggy_blonde in reply to @bobble

The new permitted development right, which came into effect on August 1, 2020, is for “new dwelling houses on detached blocks of flats” and allows for construction of up to two additional storeys of residential accommodation.
Before any development can take place, the developer must apply to the local planning authority to determine whether prior approval will be needed, although a more streamlined application process has been promised.

The criteria that must be satisfied to make use of the new PD right include:

The existing building must be a purpose-built block of residential flats
It must have been built between July 1, 1948 and March 5, 2018
The new storeys must comprise residential flats

There are other restrictions but that's the outline

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