Land Quality Service
De-risking and unlocking the potential of land for residential development.
Independent technical opinion on land for residential development
Our Land Quality Service supports house builders (whether registered with us or not), strategic land developers, local authorities and development agencies, land agents and anyone seeking expert land quality advice for complex land schemes.
Our specialist in-house team of geotechnical and geo-environmental engineers examine various types of land during the pre-development stage, including brownfield, grey belt, geotechnically challenging, marginal and greenfield sites.
The benefits of using our Land Quality Service
We are specialists in new home building with experience on some of the UK’s largest reclamation schemes.
Adds value
A de-risked site has higher development potential, increasing the marketability of land, reducing land value renegotiation risks and increasing investment returns.
Supports warranty and insurance
We review reports and designs to manage contamination and geotechnical risks, ensuring land meets NHBC Standards and supports smooth warranty and insurance approval.
Reduces financial risk and delays
We check the land early to make sure it’s ready for building, helping projects stay on track and avoid costly surprises or delays.
Proactive solutions
Early engagement allows us to be proactive in helping you come up with solutions and resolve issues up front, leaving no ‘nasty surprises’ for the future.
How our Land Quality Service works
With an NHBC Land Quality Service certificate, you gain confidence and reassure any other stakeholders that the land has been assessed against the land quality requirements of the NHBC Standards and is already de-risked. This assurance streamlines the journey to registration for our warranty and insurance, with our team ready to support the process, subject to any outstanding matters.
Our service is split into three stages in line with NHBC Standards Chapter 4.1:
Stage 1 Hazard identification/evaluation
Technical opinion of the acceptability of the desk study appraisal and site investigations against NHBC Standards.
Stage 2 Managing ground risks
Technical opinion of the suitability of the remedial and/or design solutions against NHBC Standards.
Stage 3 Documentation and compliance verification
Technical opinion that the verification evidence demonstrates achievement of remedial objectives and/or compliance against NHBC Standards.
The path from land acquisition to NHBC warranty and insurance
Insights
Understanding ground gas: what residential developers need to know
Innovating safely: Protecting against ground gas while using modern methods of construction
What’s really beneath your land? Why early insight is your best defence against risk
Brownfield vs greenfield vs grey belt: how development risks differ
Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss our Land Quality Service
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Frequently asked questions
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Previously developed land that may require ground remediation before construction.
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Previously developed land, or derelict sites that offer limited value in restricting urban sprawl, maintaining settlement within the greenbelt that may have redevelopment potential with appropriate land quality assessment.
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For maximum benefit, we would always recommend that you engage the team as early as possible in the pre-development stages. At the very least, a minimum of three months in advance of work starting.
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This is a bespoke service and the price for each project will be determined by a number of factors such as the complexity and size of the site, the duration of our engagement and the level of service required.
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No, we don’t. Our Land Quality Service offers technical risk management for clients who want to evaluate and remediate their sites for future residential development or who need assurance that proposed foundation or remedial solutions for their development objectives, comply with the NHBC Standards (Chapter 4.1 Land Quality: Managing Ground Conditions), supporting their future application for warranty and insurance cover.
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Consultants are usually experts in one specific area. Our team includes both geotechnical and geo-environmental specialists who work together to ensure that solutions are well-matched across both areas and practical for construction. Only NHBC has the authority to determine whether proposals (or works) can meet the requirements of the NHBC Standards.
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If you’re thinking of building on engineered fill and need to keep the material on site, as the team who wrote the Engineered Fill chapter of the NHBC Standards, our experts are best placed to help you get it right.
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Our team has often supported housebuilders in gaining acceptance for innovative methods, such as ground improvement solutions on peaty ground or sites with high-ground gas risks.
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Planning often ignores whether a site is practical for residential development. Instead, it focuses on regulations like contamination, noise, wildlife and water. Our Land Quality Service is fully focused on whether the site is right for future home building and will meet the land quality requirements of NHBC Standards.
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On sites with challenging ground conditions, it’s unlikely to be in your best interests to wait until the point of registration to find out if your detailed designs are going to meet the NHBC Standards. By engaging our Land Quality Service early, you can simplify the warranty acceptance process. Our team can review your proposals and work with you to achieve solutions that mean you can achieve your goals without the risk of abortive costs. This is particularly useful where innovative or unique approaches, are being considered.