Most site appraisals look at planning policy, ground conditions and values. Access is sometimes assumed. Finding out after purchase that the visibility cannot be achieved, or that a footway is needed on someone else’s land, can wreck a scheme.
What a transport appraisal checks
- Whether a safe access can be formed, with the visibility the road needs
- Where the highway boundary runs, and any ransom risk
- Walking routes to services, and gaps that may need filling
- Likely off-site works and their rough scale
- Any history of highways objections on the site or nearby
- What evidence the planning application will need
When it matters most
- Sites on fast or busy roads
- Narrow frontages or shared accesses
- Rural sites with no footway
- Sites previously refused, especially on highway grounds
- Land promotion, where the access underpins the allocation
What it costs and saves
A desktop appraisal with a site visit is a small fee and a few days’ work. It can change the price you offer, the conditions in the contract, or whether you proceed at all. Often it simply confirms the site works, which is worth knowing too.
General information, not advice on a specific site. Policy and guidance correct as of October 2026.