Land and new homes in Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, Land to Homes works with landowners who want to sell, option or promote land for housing, and with councils and housing associations on affordable homes. We manage planning and building on the sites we take forward, and people looking for a home can register their interest.
Edinburgh · EH1Free site appraisal
Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.
- Free site appraisalNo cost, no obligation
- Legal fees coveredReasonable fees, on options and promotion
- Nothing to pay upfrontOn promotion: we fund planning
- Direct purchaseSuitable sites, with or without planning
- UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI
Where Edinburgh fits
Edinburgh (EH1) is the hub of our Edinburgh & the Lothians coverage, with 3 further towns covered. The nearest other places we cover are Musselburgh (6 miles), Kirkcaldy (11 miles) and Dunfermline (13 miles).
In and around Edinburgh, the land we appraise ranges from redundant agricultural buildings to redundant commercial buildings, including brownfield land in and around Edinburgh. Because Edinburgh is in Scotland, land titles are registered with Registers of Scotland (Land Register of Scotland) and transfers attract Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT).
Send us a postcode in or near EH1 and we will start with a free desktop appraisal.
Services in Edinburgh
For landowners
- Sell Land for Development in Edinburgh
- Sell Land with Planning Permission in Edinburgh
- Sell Land Without Planning in Edinburgh
- Land Option Agreements in Edinburgh
- Land Promotion Agreements in Edinburgh
- Landowner Joint Ventures in Edinburgh
- Sell Garden Land and Backland in Edinburgh
- Sell Farmland and Paddocks in Edinburgh
- Sell Brownfield Land in Edinburgh
- Sell an Infill Plot in Edinburgh
- Land Assembly and Access in Edinburgh
- Free Site Appraisal in Edinburgh
- Sell a Building for Conversion in Edinburgh
Planning, design and build
- Planning Permission and Strategy in Edinburgh
- Architecture and Masterplanning in Edinburgh
- New Home Construction in Edinburgh
- Serviced Plots for Self-Build in Edinburgh
New homes and housing
- New-Build Homes for Sale in Edinburgh
- New Homes to Rent in Edinburgh
- Affordable Housing in Edinburgh
- Social Housing in Edinburgh
- Council and Housing Partnerships in Edinburgh
Funders and partners
Rules that apply in Edinburgh
If you own land on the edge of Edinburgh, its prospects in Scotland depend largely on the Local Development Plan, which allocates sites for housing, and on NPF4 policies such as those on local living, infrastructure and quality homes. An option or promotion agreement lets a partner fund the planning case while you keep ownership until a sale. With Land to Homes, your reasonable legal fees on these agreements are covered, with the amount agreed in the heads of terms.
Scotland's Affordable Housing Supply Programme has a national target for new affordable homes, most of them for social rent. Councils and registered social landlords around Edinburgh deliver most of these, mainly as new build, with registered social landlords regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator. Land to Homes can supply sites, design and construction to help partners deliver, whether on land we bring forward or land a partner already owns.
| National planning policy | National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which forms part of the statutory development plan |
|---|---|
| Local planning document | Local Development Plan (LDP) |
| Who decides applications | The council as planning authority (or a national park authority in its area) |
| Land registration | Registers of Scotland (Land Register of Scotland) |
| How a sale becomes binding | Land sales are concluded through missives, formal letters exchanged between solicitors that become a binding contract once concluded, followed by settlement on the date of entry and registration in the Land Register of Scotland. |
Questions about Land and homes in Edinburgh
How is the price of development land worked out?
Development land is usually valued by working back from what the finished homes would be worth, then deducting build costs, infrastructure, planning obligations such as affordable housing, fees, finance and a developer's margin. This is called a residual valuation. We do not quote land values online; our free appraisal explains the factors that affect your site.
How do I register interest in a new home?
Tell us your contact details, preferred areas, the type and size of home, whether you want to buy or rent, and your timing. Registering is free, it is not a reservation or an application, and you can ask us to remove your details at any time. We use it to contact you and to understand what people need.
What is a land promotion agreement?
Under a promotion agreement, a promoter funds and manages the planning process, then markets the land for sale with the landowner once permission is granted. The proceeds are shared under an agreed formula after the promoter's costs. With Land to Homes there is nothing to pay upfront: planning costs are only recovered from the sale proceeds if the land sells with planning.
Can Green Belt land be developed?
Green Belt is land around certain towns and cities where policy keeps land open, so new homes are normally resisted unless a local plan releases the land or there are very special circumstances. In England, recent policy changes introduced grey belt land, which can be more acceptable for development in some cases. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own green belt policies.
Is Edinburgh an area you cover for land?
Yes, we cover land in Edinburgh and elsewhere in Edinburgh & the Lothians, including Musselburgh, Livingston and Bathgate. Where a site suits us we can buy it directly, or set up an option or promotion agreement. On promotion there is nothing to pay upfront.