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This guide covers England’s national planning and viability framework. London’s separate affordable-housing threshold approach is set out below; neither London thresholds nor any single national percentage should be assumed to apply elsewhere. For a live scheme, check the operative development plan and applicable guidance.
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What makes a high-rise housing scheme viable?
Government guidance defines viability as an assessment of whether the value generated by development is greater than the cost of developing it. A housing-led appraisal therefore compares expected gross development value (GDV) with the full costs of delivering the scheme and the return needed to make it deliverable. The remainder after those costs and profit is the residual land value (RLV): it is an appraisal result, not a guaranteed sale price for the site.
GDV may include receipts from private homes, affordable homes and commercial space. Costs can include base construction and abnormal works, remediation, infrastructure and utilities, professional fees, planning obligations such as Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), marketing, finance, contingency and developer profit. These are inputs to substantiate for the actual project, not universal allowances that can simply be copied from another appraisal. As the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) puts it in Financial viability for housing-led projects: “The development appraisal is only ever as robust as the inputs provided.”
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For a tall building, the appraisal needs to reflect the proposed design, delivery programme and market. The available national guidance establishes no high-rise-specific cost curve, and it does not show that increasing height by itself improves viability. More homes or saleable or lettable area may improve land-use efficiency, but the appraisal must also account for the scheme’s costs, infrastructure needs, market evidence, policy obligations and planning risks.
Start with the affordable-housing policy, not a target percentage
Under England’s current national homes policy, proposals should meet or exceed the up-to-date development-plan requirements for affordable-housing proportion and tenure mix, including the minimum proportion for Social Rent. The applicable local plan—not a blanket national quota—sets the starting point for an ordinary scheme. Establish the relevant policy, tenure expectations and any site-specific requirements before fixing the unit mix or making a land bid.
On-site affordable housing is expected unless provision at a nearby off-site location would optimise quality or quantity, or a payment in lieu is robustly justified and supports mixed, balanced communities. These are not automatic alternatives to on-site provision: the case must be grounded in the applicable policy and show how the proposed route delivers an acceptable outcome.
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There is a specific national policy for housing development on land within or released from the Green Belt: policies should require at least 50% affordable housing unless that would make development unviable when tested under national viability guidance. This is a defined Green Belt provision, not a general affordable-housing percentage for all schemes in England. Do not apply it to a site without establishing that the policy applies.
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Build a transparent residual appraisal
A residual appraisal works backwards from a development’s expected value, deducting development costs and the required return to establish the residual land value. In early scheme work, it can help show whether a proposed design, tenure mix and policy package can be reconciled with a realistic land assumption. The calculation is only useful if the inputs are evidenced and the costs are not selectively omitted.
Set out value and costs by source
Show how the assumed values are derived for private sales, affordable homes and any commercial floorspace, and identify the evidence and timing behind them. Set out the cost schedule, including the relevant base build and abnormal costs, remediation, infrastructure and utilities, professional fees, Section 106 and CIL, marketing, finance, contingency and profit. MHCLG’s guidance identifies BCIS data as one possible source for preliminaries and build-cost inputs; it is an input source, not a substitute for project-specific cost evidence.
Record assumptions about land, phasing, delivery rates and finance as well as headline values and costs. A high-rise appraisal may be particularly sensitive to the sequence and pace of delivery, but do not claim a specific cost or return effect without evidence for the actual project. Where an assumption is uncertain, state the basis and test how the result changes if that assumption moves.
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Benchmark land value should reflect policy-compliant costs. The amount a developer paid or offered for the site does not itself justify failing to meet the relevant plan policies. If the residual result is below the landowner’s expectation, that gap is not proof that the affordable-housing requirement is unreasonable; it may instead show that the bid, design, values, costs or delivery assumptions need scrutiny.
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Developer return also needs an explicit rationale. In 2019 national viability guidance said plan-makers may consider an assumption of 15–20% of GDV when testing plan policies, while allowing evidence-based alternatives for scheme type, scale and risk. It also notes that a lower return may be appropriate where affordable-housing delivery provides a known end sale and reduces risk. This range is a plan-making assumption, not a mandated profit margin for every project or a figure to insert automatically into a site appraisal.
Test density and design without assuming that taller is better
England’s land-use policy supports increased residential density within settlements, except where doing so is clearly inappropriate or not possible. For proposals near well-connected stations, the national policy sets a minimum of 35 dwellings per hectare in net developable area; where service frequency is at least twice the defined minimum, it sets at least 45 dwellings per hectare. The policy says minimums should be exceeded where possible, especially in highly connected locations. These figures guide density, not tower height or an automatic entitlement to a particular design.
Compare credible design and density options against both value and delivery conditions. A higher-density option may add homes or saleable and rentable area, while changing construction costs, infrastructure demand, phasing and the quality of the place. Planning assessment must consider connectivity, local need, infrastructure capacity, market conditions, local character and whether the development creates attractive, healthy places. The appraisal should reveal the trade-offs rather than treating added floors as a guaranteed viability gain.
Compare options on the same assumptions
| Decision | What to compare | Viability and policy question |
|---|---|---|
| Density and design | Homes and saleable or rentable area against construction cost, infrastructure capacity, connectivity and place quality. | Does additional development value outweigh the associated costs and planning risks, while meeting place-making and policy expectations? |
| Build-for-sale or build-to-rent | Sales receipts and timing against long-term rental income and operating assumptions. | Which delivery model is credible for the site, and how do its cash flows, tenure obligations and risk affect the appraisal? |
| Affordable-housing delivery | On-site provision against eligible nearby off-site provision or a justified payment in lieu, considering quantity, quality, delivery and community outcomes. | Does the proposed route meet policy and support mixed, balanced communities? |
| Land and phasing | Alternative land assumptions and delivery schedules against residual land value, finance exposure and build or sales pace. | How robust is the result if delivery is slower or values and costs differ from the central assumptions? |
Use a consistent appraisal basis when comparing options so that a change in result can be attributed to the design, tenure, phasing or other variable being tested—not to a different, unexplained set of assumptions.
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Choose the tenure and delivery model deliberately
Build-for-sale and build-to-rent have different income profiles. A sales-led appraisal depends on unit sales values and the timing and rate of sales; a rental-led appraisal needs to reflect long-term income and operating assumptions. MHCLG’s viability guidance suggests comparing the two models where useful. Such a comparison is meaningful only when both models are plausible for the site and their respective assumptions are transparent.
Build-to-rent affordable provision
England’s build-to-rent guidance describes Affordable Private Rent as the default affordable tenure for this asset class and gives 20% as a general benchmark, maintained in perpetuity. It specifies that affordable homes must be let at least 20% below local market rents for the same or equivalent home, including service charges. The affordable and market homes should be under common management and distributed through the scheme. Agreed variations to the proportion or discount should be recorded in the Section 106 agreement.
These are build-to-rent provisions, not a replacement for checking the local development plan or a rule for every build-for-sale scheme. The 20% figures describe the guidance benchmark and minimum discount; they do not predict whether a particular rental scheme will be viable.
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London has a distinct threshold approach under Greater London Authority guidance. A scheme meeting the described 35% affordable-housing threshold—or 50% on specified public and industrial land—and the relevant tenure, affordability and other requirements can use the Fast Track Route. Under that route, the scheme can proceed without detailed viability information or a late-stage viability review.
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Schemes below the applicable threshold, or those proposing off-site provision or a cash-in-lieu contribution, use the Viability Tested Route and face viability scrutiny and review mechanisms. These thresholds are London-specific; they should not be transplanted to a scheme elsewhere in England. For a live London proposal, confirm the operative London Plan and relevant borough requirements.
Make the case credible and manage changes over time
A clear viability case lets decision-makers understand how the scheme’s value, costs, land assumptions, return and policy commitments fit together. Set out the evidence behind each major input and explain why the assumptions are appropriate to the scheme, location and delivery model. Show phasing, delivery rates and finance assumptions, and include sensitivity testing where values, costs or timing are uncertain.
Compare land-bid and phasing scenarios rather than relying on a single optimistic forecast. A lower-than-expected residual land value may prompt a review of the bid, design or delivery sequence; it does not by itself remove the need to comply with policy. If a proposal depends on a policy variation or an alternative affordable-housing route, identify the applicable policy basis and evidence required for that route instead of presenting the viability model as an exemption.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →National planning policy and local requirements can change. Before relying on a threshold, tenure rule or density expectation, confirm the current national guidance, adopted development plan and any applicable London or borough policy for the site. The national principles help structure the appraisal; they cannot determine the viability of a specific tower without its project-specific evidence.
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