Negotiating on a plot of land - any idea how?

[everythingcrossed]

I've always wanted to build my own house and I've found a brilliant piece of land - it's already fenced off from a row of houses and backs onto a little lane. I've been watching it for about a year but the problem is, I don't know who it belongs to and if it's for sale. I've looked in the Land Registry and there's nothing about it there and there's no planning history on the site. No one seems to be doing anything with it other than parking a couple of cars on it.

So, how do I find out who it belongs to and, more importantly, open up a dialogue with them about price without them simply plucking a figure out of the air and doubling it because I seem keen?

I am suprised there is nothing on the land registry about it - maybe it is attached to one of the houses? As a rule of thumb (I think) you have to calculate the selling value of a finished house on the land, and the land will be worth about a third. But you will need to get PP before you even suggest a price to the owner incase there is no chance of you getting it, or there are restrictions on the land which could make it pretty worthless. Are the houses around it pretty new? I would get a solicitor involved TBH, they should know properly about this sort of thing.

Anyone else?

You could try putting a sheet of paper in a taped up clear bag and fix it to an obvious point by the site i.e. a lampost or the site boundary fence.

Something like does anyone have any information about who owns this land? Please call... and/ or email....

I saw something similar on a local bit of land and it was common knowledge by the older locals who it was owned by. Land doesn't have to be registered with the land registry if it hasn't changed hands - but I think this has changed so anything that sells has to now become registered.