Development appraisal Flashcards
What is a development appraisal?
A tool to assess the financial viability of a development scheme
Why are development appraisals used?
To assess profitability of a proposed scheme and its sensitivity to changing inputs
What is the difference between a development appraisal and a residual valuation?
Development appraisal is a tool to financially assess viability of an investment, whereas a residual valuation is a market value of the site
• Development appraisal uses client inputs
• Residual valuation uses market inputs
What results do development appraisals produce?
- Gross Development Value
- Net Development Value
- Total Development Costs
- Residual Site Value
- Developers Profits
What is the difference between GDV and Residual Value?
- Gross Development Value is the capital value of the completed scheme
- Residual value is the value of the site, if total construction costs are deducted from the GDV
How is a development appraisal carried out?
- Calculate Gross Development Value
- Less Total Development Costs
- = Site Value
What is Gross Development Value?
Market value of completed proposed development at a given valuation date
What yield is used to calculate GDV?
All risks yield
What assumptions are made to calculate GDV?
- Rents
- Yields
- Marketing void
- Rent free void
What’s included in development costs?
- Site preparation (site purchase / demolition / site clearance)
- Planning costs
- Building costs
- Professional fees
- Contingency
- Marketing costs and fees
- Finance costs
- Developer’s profit
What site preparation costs might you consider in a new site?
- Demolition
- Remediation
- Landfill tax
- Provision of services
- Site clearance
- Planning
What’s included in planning costs?
- Section 106 payments (Town and Country Planning Act 1990)
- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
- Affordable housing requirements for new residential development
- Section 278 for highway works
- Planning application and building regulation fees
- Costs of planning consultant
- Cost of specialist reports (e.g. Environmental Assessment)
What is a Section 106 agreement?
- Introduced under Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Site specific planning obligations enforceable by LPA
- Agreement entered into before planning consent granted
- Negotiated on one to one basis, no fixed charging schedule
- Contributes to cost of new schools, community facility or open space
What is a Community Infrastructure Levy?
- Tariff based development charge used to raise funds for infrastructure necessary to support development in the area (roads and transport facilities, flood defences, medical facilities)
- Charging schedule based on the square meter of additional floor space
- Tariff based on size or change to the size of development based on net floor areas
What is needed to initiate CIL procedure?
Assumption of Liability Notice (ALN)
Can developers be doubled charged by CIL and s.106?
Not for the same item, but both can be levied on one developer for separate items
What development charge covers affordable housing?
Section 106
What is the latest legislation on CILs?
Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2019
What does the Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2019 cover?
Requires all local authorities in England to produce annual report on how much money has been collected from s.106 and CIL payments, and where the money has been spent
What are the main differences between CIL and s.106 planning obligations?
- S.106 used for social housing, CIL is not
- CIL due for all development, s.106 only justifiable if necessary to make development acceptable in planning terms
- CIL based on charging schedule that covers whole area, s.106 is site specific
- CIL is tariff based, s.106 is by negotiation
- CIL charge viability is tested at district-wide level with charges mandatory, s.106 viability testing undertaken on case by case basis
How do you estimate build costs?
- Client information (for development appraisal)
- RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS)
- Quantity Surveyor estimate
- Building Surveyor estimate
- Spons Architects’ and Buildings’ Price book
On what basis are BCIS build costs provided?
GIA
Where does the BCIS get its information?
QS/BS sources and recent contract prices/tenders agreed
What do you typically assume for professional fees?
10%-15% (plus VAT) of total construction costs
What do professional fees cover?
- Architects
- Mechanical & Engineering consultants (M&E)
- Project managers
- Structural engineers
- Building surveyors
What is typical the largest portion of professional fees?
Architects fees
On what basis are professional fees charged?
As a percentage of total construction costs
What is a CDM Principal Designer?
Construction Design Management consultant
What is contingency?
Additional costs applied to account for unforeseen risks (increasing build costs)
What do you typically assume as a contingency cost?
3% - 5% of construction costs
How do you determine how much contingency to assume?
Depends upon the level of risk and likely movements of building costs
What do marketing costs cover?
- Cost of an EPC
- Letting fee
- Disposal fee
What do you typically assume for letting fees?
10% of initial annual rent
What do you typically assume for sale fees?
1.5% of GDV
What are the methods of calculating finance costs?
- LIBOR plus premium to reflect interest rate available (now SONIA)
- Bank of England Base rate plus premium
- Rate at which the client can borrow money
What are the three uses of development finance?
- Site purchase (include purchaser’s costs) – compound interest
- Total construction and associated costs – calculation based on S-curve taking half of costs over length of build period
- Holding costs to cover voids until disposal of scheme (empty rates, service charges and interest charges)
How is finance for site purchase calculated?
Straight line basis using compound interest over length of construction period
How is finance for the construction period calculated?
Assume total construction costs (including fees) over half of time period using S curve calculation
What is the S curve?
- Principle that payment of construction costs will adopt the profile of an ‘S’ shaped curve over the construction period
- The usual assumption is to halve the interest that would be borrowed for all the construction period
- The S reflects when monies tend to be drawn down
How is finance for ongoing holding costs calculated?
Straight line basis using compound interest
What is developers profit?
Profit taken by the developer for the completed development
How is developers profit calculated or targeted?
- Percentage of GDV (more common for residential)
- Percentage of total construction costs
- Profit on capital employed (cash-on-cash)