Sites for operators.
Options for landowners.
Aavan Property finds buildings and land for operators who need somewhere to open, and works with the owners who have them. Every site is tested against the operator's brief before anyone's time gets spent.
Six kinds of site. Each one judged on its own brief.
An operator's requirement is specific, so the search is too. Size, catchment, access, planning and the people who own the building all get checked against what that operator actually needs.
Nurseries
Buildings and plots near family housing, with outdoor play space, safe drop-off and a planning route to nursery use.
Food-to-go and drive-thru
Plots with visibility, good access and room for a lane, plus town units where the footfall fits the brand.
Shops and retail pods
Units and standalone pods where the catchment matches the operator's customers and the lease terms make sense.
Care and retirement
Sites close to local shops and transport, sized for the operator's model and clear of the obvious planning traps.
Supported living
Self-contained apartment schemes and bungalows in places where councils are commissioning that kind of home.
Land and development
Garage blocks, backland, tired commercial buildings and lapsed consents, each with a realistic route through planning.
Send the brief. Get sites that fit it.
A list of whatever happens to be on the market wastes your acquisitions team's week. Aavan works the other way round: your requirement comes first, and a site only reaches you once it has passed a desk check against it.
- Location, size and access measured against your brief
- Planning history and what the building can lawfully be used for
- Title, ownership and who is actually in occupation
- Off-market approaches to owners who aren't selling yet
- A straight answer when a site doesn't stack
Your building. Your timescale.
If a building or plot has stopped earning its keep, there may be an operator who needs exactly that. You don't have to put it on the market to find out. A first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
- A sale to an operator or developer
- A long lease to an established operator, with rent and a covenant behind it
- An option or joint venture where land has development potential
- Honest advice on which of those suits you, and when
The awkward ones are often the best ones.
A building nobody wants for its old use can be exactly what an operator is hunting for. Plenty of good sites start life as someone else's headache, so if yours is causing you grief, it's worth a conversation.
Your tenant is leaving
The lease ends in the next year or two, or they've served a break notice. Lining up an operator before the building goes empty can mean the rent never stops.
Empty or half used
You're paying business rates and insurance on space nobody is using. An operator who needs that footprint may take it as it is, or with works agreed up front.
Built for something else
Old offices, bank branches and shops often sit in a planning class that already allows a nursery, café or gym. Some can change use without a full planning application.
Hard to sell as it is
Garage blocks, backland, odd shapes and sites with access problems. They struggle on the open market, but the right buyer sees the plan rather than the problem.
Refused or lapsed consent
A refusal usually spells out what would get approved. We read the decision notice against the local plan and tell you plainly whether there's a route. More on refusals ↓
Ready to step back
You're retiring, or you've had enough of managing tenants and repairs. We'll find a buyer or a long-lease operator, and you set the pace.
Send us the address. We'll check the planning history, the title and the local plan, then tell you honestly what the building could be worth to an operator. If the answer is nothing, you'll hear that too.
Tell us about your building →A refusal isn't always the end of the road.
Most refusals say exactly why the council said no. Read properly, that letter is often a list of what would get a yes. And a site that failed for one use can be a strong fit for another.
- Proposal
- Demolition of garage block and erection of 6 dwellings
- Decision
- Refused
1. The proposal, by reason of its scale and massing, would appear cramped and harm the character of the area, contrary to Policy DM4.
2. Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate safe access for refuse vehicles.
Change the scheme and go again
Answer the reasons for refusal with a revised design. A pre-application chat with the council first can stop you paying for a second refusal.
Appeal
Sometimes the council simply got it wrong. Deadlines are tight (12 weeks for householder and minor commercial refusals, and no more than six months for others), so don't sit on the letter.
A different use
A site refused for flats may suit a nursery, a care home or a drive-thru, where local policy and operator demand point the other way.
Sell or option it to someone who'll take the risk
Some operators and developers will buy subject to planning, or take an option and fund the next application themselves. You keep your upside without paying for another attempt.
Send us the planning reference. We'll read the decision notice, the officer's report and the local plan policies, then tell you which route looks realistic. Sometimes the honest answer is to leave it, and we'll say so.
Get a view on your refusal →Five steps between a brief and a signed deal.
The order matters. Testing a site before anyone is introduced is what keeps operators' and owners' time from being wasted.
Brief
We take the operator's requirement in detail: size, location, use, budget and deal-breakers.
Search
On-market listings, plus direct approaches to owners of buildings that fit but aren't for sale.
Test
Desk due diligence on planning, title, constraints and the local plan before a site goes anywhere.
Introduce
Only sites that pass go to the operator, with the evidence attached and the risks stated.
Agree
We help both sides reach heads of terms, then hand over to their solicitors and surveyors.
If a site doesn't stack, I'll tell you and walk away.Alisha van Wyngaardt, Director, Aavan Property
Alisha van Wyngaardt
After more than 26 years in policing, where every decision had to be built on evidence, not instinct, I brought that same discipline into property.
As founder of Aavan Property, I find sites for commercial operators, source land and development opportunities, and work with landowners on sales, leases and options. I work alongside an experienced development partner, and I build my own portfolio too, so I know what a deal looks like from the buyer's side.
Alisha van Wyngaardt, Director, Aavan Property Ltd
The rules we don't bend.
Evidence first
Every claim about a site comes with its source. Anything estimated is labelled as an estimate.
Walk away early
A quick no saves everyone money. If the numbers or the planning don't work, you'll hear it from us first.
Your timescale
Owners decide when to move. There are no deadlines invented to rush anyone.
Discretion
Operators' requirements and owners' plans stay private. We talk about process in public, never terms.
What people usually ask first.
Straight answers to the questions owners and operators tend to have before they pick up the phone.
Does it cost me anything to talk to you?
No. A first conversation and a desk review of your site or your requirement cost nothing. If a fee ever applies, it's agreed in writing before any introduction is made, so there are no surprises later.
Do I have to sell my building?
No. Plenty of owners would rather keep the freehold and let it on a long lease to an operator. Others prefer an option, where a buyer pays for the right to buy later once planning is sorted. We'll explain which route fits what you want.
Will you share my details or my plans?
Not without your agreement. Owners' plans and operators' requirements stay private, and nothing about your site goes to anyone until you've said yes.
My planning was refused. Is it worth a look?
Often, yes. Send us the planning reference and we'll read the decision notice, the officer's report and the local plan, then tell you honestly whether there's a route. Sometimes the answer is to leave it, and we'll say so.
Which areas do you cover?
London and the South East. If your site is further out, get in touch anyway, as some operators we speak to search more widely.
I'm an operator. What do you need from me?
Your brand, the use, the size range you need, your target towns and any deal-breakers. A copy of your published requirement is ideal if you have one.
Tell us what you need, or what you've got.
Email or WhatsApp, whichever suits you. A few lines is plenty to start.
Message us on WhatsApp- Operators: your brand, the use, size range and target areas
- Landowners: the address, what's there now and what you'd like to happen