Land and new homes in Kirkwall
Land to Homes is a land and new-homes business covering Kirkwall. We can buy suitable land directly, fund the planning on promotion and option deals, and deliver homes for sale, rent and affordable housing. Every land enquiry starts with a free, no-obligation appraisal.
Kirkwall · KW15Free 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
Our coverage in Kirkwall
Kirkwall sits about 113 miles north-east of Inverness in Highlands & Islands, in the KW15 postcode district. Close by, our coverage also takes in Thurso, Buckie and Elgin.
Sites worth a conversation around Kirkwall: corner plots and side gardens, farmland next to the settlement boundary and large and long rear gardens. Because Kirkwall is in Scotland, land titles are registered with Registers of Scotland (Land Register of Scotland) and transfers attract Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT).
Tell us where your land is around Kirkwall and we will explain the routes open to you.
Services in Kirkwall
For landowners
- Sell Land for Development in Kirkwall
- Sell Land with Planning Permission in Kirkwall
- Sell Land Without Planning in Kirkwall
- Land Option Agreements in Kirkwall
- Land Promotion Agreements in Kirkwall
- Landowner Joint Ventures in Kirkwall
- Sell Garden Land and Backland in Kirkwall
- Sell Farmland and Paddocks in Kirkwall
- Sell Brownfield Land in Kirkwall
- Sell an Infill Plot in Kirkwall
- Land Assembly and Access in Kirkwall
- Free Site Appraisal in Kirkwall
- Sell a Building for Conversion in Kirkwall
Planning, design and build
- Planning Permission and Strategy in Kirkwall
- Architecture and Masterplanning in Kirkwall
- New Home Construction in Kirkwall
- Serviced Plots for Self-Build in Kirkwall
New homes and housing
- New-Build Homes for Sale in Kirkwall
- New Homes to Rent in Kirkwall
- Affordable Housing in Kirkwall
- Social Housing in Kirkwall
- Council and Housing Partnerships in Kirkwall
Funders and partners
Planning in Kirkwall: the Scottish rules
Land sales in Scotland are concluded through missives, an exchange of formal letters between solicitors. Once missives are concluded they form a binding contract, and the buyer takes entry at settlement, then registers the title with Registers of Scotland. For land near Kirkwall, missives can be made conditional on planning permission in principle, so the sale only proceeds if consent is secured. The buyer pays Land and Buildings Transaction Tax to Revenue Scotland.
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 Kirkwall 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 |
|---|---|
| Who decides applications | The council as planning authority (or a national park authority in its area) |
| In-principle consent | Planning permission in principle (PPP), followed by approval of matters specified in conditions |
| Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer) | Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) |
| Developer contributions | Section 75 planning obligations, with Section 69 agreements sometimes used for simple one-off payments |
Land and homes in Kirkwall: questions
Do I need my own solicitor to sell land?
Yes. Every landowner should have their own solicitor on a land sale or agreement, and many also use a land agent or chartered surveyor. On option and promotion agreements with Land to Homes, we pay your reasonable legal fees, with the amount agreed up front in the heads of terms before you instruct anyone.
Is the site appraisal really free?
Yes. Our site appraisal is free and carries no obligation. It covers access, planning policy, likely constraints and an indicative number of homes, and we talk you through the routes open to you. You do not have to agree to anything afterwards, and we will tell you plainly if the land is not suitable for us.
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.
What should I check before reserving any new-build home?
Check the specification, the tenure and any lease terms, estate or service charges for unadopted roads and open space, the warranty provider, the reservation terms and whether the developer is registered with the New Homes Quality Board. Instruct your own solicitor early, visit the site if you can and ask for everything important in writing.
Do you work with landowners in Kirkwall?
We do. We work with landowners in Kirkwall and elsewhere in Highlands & Islands, including Inverness, Lerwick and Thurso. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.