Land and new homes in Scottish Borders
Land to Homes is a land and new-homes business covering Scottish Borders. 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.
Scottish BordersFree 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 we work in Scottish Borders
Across Scottish Borders, we cover Galashiels and 3 other towns, among them Kelso, Hawick and Peebles. Next door, we also cover Edinburgh & the Lothians, Fife and Forth Valley.
Typical sites we review near Scottish Borders include farmland next to the settlement boundary, land that already has planning permission and paddocks on the edge of Galashiels. Because Scottish Borders 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 TD1 and we will start with a free desktop appraisal.
Services in Scottish Borders
For landowners
- Sell Land for Development in Scottish Borders
- Sell Land with Planning Permission in Scottish Borders
- Sell Land Without Planning in Scottish Borders
- Land Option Agreements in Scottish Borders
- Land Promotion Agreements in Scottish Borders
- Landowner Joint Ventures in Scottish Borders
- Sell Garden Land and Backland in Scottish Borders
- Sell Farmland and Paddocks in Scottish Borders
- Sell Brownfield Land in Scottish Borders
- Sell an Infill Plot in Scottish Borders
- Land Assembly and Access in Scottish Borders
- Free Site Appraisal in Scottish Borders
- Sell a Building for Conversion in Scottish Borders
Planning, design and build
- Planning Permission and Strategy in Scottish Borders
- Architecture and Masterplanning in Scottish Borders
- New Home Construction in Scottish Borders
- Serviced Plots for Self-Build in Scottish Borders
New homes and housing
- New-Build Homes for Sale in Scottish Borders
- New Homes to Rent in Scottish Borders
- Affordable Housing in Scottish Borders
- Social Housing in Scottish Borders
- Council and Housing Partnerships in Scottish Borders
Funders and partners
Planning in Scottish Borders: the Scottish rules
In Scotland, planning applications for land around Scottish Borders are decided by the council as planning authority, using National Planning Framework 4 and the Local Development Plan, which together form the statutory development plan. Instead of outline permission, Scotland uses planning permission in principle, followed by approval of matters specified in conditions. Land to Homes can buy suitable sites directly or promote land through planning, and every conversation starts with a free site appraisal.
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 Scottish Borders 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) |
| 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) |
| 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. |
| Developer contributions | Section 75 planning obligations, with Section 69 agreements sometimes used for simple one-off payments |
Common questions in Scottish Borders
Who decides who gets an affordable or social home?
Councils and housing associations, not developers. They set eligibility, usually based on income, housing need and sometimes a local connection, and allocate homes through their own lists or sales processes. In Northern Ireland, social homes are allocated through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's common waiting list. Land to Homes does not allocate homes.
What kinds of land do you look at?
Fields and paddocks next to towns and villages, large gardens and backland, infill plots, brownfield and former commercial sites, farmland, and buildings that could convert to homes. Sites need realistic access and planning prospects. If land is too small or too constrained for us, we will say so plainly rather than leave you waiting for an answer.
Can I sell land without planning permission?
Yes. Land often sells without planning, either for a price that reflects the planning risk or under a deal where the price is set once permission is granted. Land to Homes can buy suitable sites directly, with or without planning and with no onward chain, subject to survey, title and contract, or promote the land through planning with you.
What is an option agreement?
An option agreement gives a developer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within an agreed period, usually once planning permission is granted. The landowner normally receives an option fee, and the purchase price is worked out under an agreed formula. On option agreements with Land to Homes, we pay your reasonable legal fees, agreed up front in the heads of terms.
Is Scottish Borders an area you cover for land?
Yes, we cover land across Scottish Borders, including Hawick, Kelso and Galashiels. 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.