Rapid technological advancements have paved the way for a new model of land acquisition; one that identifies off-market opportunities, undertakes personalised landowner outreach, conducts planning viability reports and progresses deal flow – all of which can be done at scale across a breadth of sectors.
Frustrated with the typical agency model, Dan Robinson founded VirginLand to empower SME developers and drive efficiencies within larger national businesses. Rather than publishing ‘off-market’ opportunities on social media platforms such as LinkedIn to stoke bidding wars, VirginLand have entered into strategic partnerships with industry-leading data and software providers to gain unrivalled insights into the UK’s land supply. The ability to overlay concise requirements onto this data allows for accurate site identification at scale.
Investing in technology has facilitated VirginLand’s ability to convert identified sites into corresponding letters at scale, but the human element/personal touch cannot be discounted – and all letters must be personalised before they pass approval for sending. By virtue of being an outsourced land department, and thus not a developer, VirginLand are better placed to build landowner relationships. Planning reports and appraisals can be produced for landowners free of charge, who also pay zero fees for selling their land through VirginLand.
An experienced team of planning professionals support the site identification, landowner communications and site viability functions of the business on behalf of developers, working in partnership as an extension of their land team to provide due diligence on compatible opportunities, supporting developers through their offer preparation phase.
Technology allows VirginLand to create deal pipelines at scale, identifying a volume of opportunities and creating mail campaigns in just a few clicks. The value of the technology is amplified by VirginLand’s trained professionals, delivering inherently off-market acquisition opportunities with the first right of refusal – and providing free of charge support to landowners – ultimately bringing both sides together to do mutually rewarding deals that get Britain building.
