People often fall in love with a location when they decide where to live. However, they may not find the type of home they want. One option is to build it themselves. If you decide to do that, you'll need to find a plot. In some areas the only choice will be infills.
A unique opportunity
Easily the best thing about infills is you have the chance to create a home in an established area. This means you should have all the amenities you could want. More importantly, it should be much easier to get all the utilities you need, including water, electricity, and internet. Ideally, you will have access to the roads too.
Infill developments also appeal more to local councils. This is especially true if you compare to Greenfield sites or Brownfields that need a lot of work. Most notably, they get support because they typically don't lead to urban sprawl if you're only creating a single home.
However, you need to think very carefully about the character of the area. You'll need to design your property to match it. Even better, if your proposals enhance the area, you will get a more positive response.
Challenges
Working with a top architect in London is ideal if you are planning an infill project in the city. It can give you the perfect support to approach every single challenge.
Easily the biggest problem with many infills is getting the neighbours on side. It can be tricky because there's no way to prevent disruption, even if you take as much care as possible. You also need to make sure your new home doesn't impact them, or the value of their property. Good designs go a long way here though, and make it more likely you will get planning permission too.
The second biggest issue with infill plots is they can be difficult shapes. As a result, you need to think about how a home will fit and the impact on the street scene. The best thing to do is design to take advantage of the unique shape of the plot.
Access can also be a major challenge with some infills. There are a couple of things to look at here, including how to ensure you can come and go safely. Make sure you check the legal side of things. Plus, look ahead to how you will get building materials to the site; this can require costly equipment in some cases.
Finally, there is often no point proceeding with any kind of project if there are any restrictive covenants. Some infills never get developed simply because there are rules that prevent it. Others require a payment, and may mean the project is not feasible.