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For landowners · Northamptonshire

Sell a Building for Conversion in Corby

Can I sell a building for conversion to homes in Corby?

In England, some offices, shops and barns can become homes through permitted development with prior approval rather than a full planning application. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules. Land to Homes checks which route applies to your building in Corby and whether its structure, layout and daylight can produce good homes.

Grass field bordered by a hedgerow, with the backs of a housing estate along one sideCorby · NN17

Free 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 Corby

We cover Corby as part of Northamptonshire. It is about 19 miles north-east of Northampton, around postcode district NN17. If your land sits between towns, Uppingham, Kettering and Market Harborough are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Corby is part of England’s East Midlands region. Corby is about 53 miles from our Great Barr head office in Birmingham.

Sites worth a conversation around Corby: backland plots with a workable access, former garage blocks and yards and redundant commercial buildings. Because Corby is in England, land titles are registered with HM Land Registry and transfers attract Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).

A postcode and a rough boundary are enough for us to start a free appraisal of land near Corby.

Why work with Land to Homes in Corby

Light, depth and layout

Deep office floors and small windows can make poor homes. Habitable rooms need adequate natural light, so we test whether the building can provide good layouts before making an offer.

Building regulations apply

Changing a building to homes brings in building regulations or, in Scotland, a building warrant, covering fire safety, sound insulation, energy efficiency and escape routes. These often drive conversion costs.

Pubs and chapels

Pubs, chapels and community halls do not usually benefit from these rights and need full planning permission. Councils often ask for evidence that the existing use is no longer viable or needed.

Heritage handled carefully

Listed buildings need listed building consent for most changes, and conservation areas add design controls. Historic chapels and barns can still convert well when their character is respected.

Rules that apply in Corby

In England, most planning applications for new homes in Corby are decided by the local planning authority, usually the council, using its Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. Many landowners sell without planning, either outright or through an option or promotion agreement that funds the application first. Land to Homes offers a free site appraisal, pays your reasonable legal fees on option and promotion agreements, and can buy suitable sites directly, subject to survey, title and contract.

In England, Class MA allows many buildings in commercial, business and service use to convert to homes through prior approval, and Class Q covers some agricultural buildings. These rights are England-only, carry conditions and exclusions, and can be removed locally by Article 4 directions. New homes must meet national space standards, and pubs need full planning permission.

Key rules in Corby
Local planning documentLocal Plan
In-principle consentOutline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer)Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
Developer contributionsSection 106 planning obligations, plus the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) where the council charges it

Sell a Building for Conversion in Corby: questions

Can a chapel or church be converted into homes?

Often, yes, with full planning permission, and listed building consent if it is listed. A buyer will check the title for covenants imposed by the original religious body, any burial ground, and access. Many chapels convert well because of their volume and tall windows, but parking and neighbours need care.

What is Class Q permitted development?

Class Q is an England-only right that can allow agricultural buildings to become homes through prior approval, subject to limits on numbers and floor space and exclusions for listed buildings and some protected areas. The building must be suitable for conversion rather than needing substantial rebuilding. Scotland has a separate, narrower right of its own.

What makes a building suitable for conversion to homes?

Good natural light, a sensible floor depth, adequate ceiling heights, a sound structure, room for bin and bike stores, and a location where people want to live. Buildings that need major structural work, or whose windows cannot light every habitable room, are harder and more expensive to convert.

Do pubs need planning permission to convert to homes?

Yes, in most cases. In England, pubs no longer have permitted development rights to change to housing, so a full planning application is needed, and councils usually look for evidence that the pub is no longer viable. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also normally require full planning permission.

Do you work with landowners in Corby?

We do. We work with landowners in Corby and elsewhere in Northamptonshire, including Daventry, Wellingborough and Rushden. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.

Read more: Sell a Building for Conversion · Guide: How is development land valued?

Sell a Building for Conversion elsewhere in Northamptonshire

Own land that could take new homes?

Start with a free, no-obligation site appraisal. On option and promotion agreements we fund the planning work and pay your reasonable legal fees.

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