Free Site Appraisal in Reading
Before you spend money on surveys or advisers, find out whether your land in Reading has realistic potential for new homes. Our free appraisal starts with a desktop review of official planning documents, maps and title records, and may lead to a site visit. You get a plain-English view on prospects, risks and next steps.
Reading · RG1Free 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
Land we look at around Reading
Our Berkshire coverage is centred on Reading, postcode district RG1, and reaches 10 other places. The nearest other places we cover are Lower Earley (3 miles), Wokingham (7 miles) and Crowthorne (10 miles). Within England, Reading falls in the South East region.
Sites worth a conversation around Reading: redundant commercial buildings, brownfield land in and around Reading and redundant agricultural buildings. Planning in Reading follows England’s rules: the National Planning Policy Framework sets national policy and the council’s Local Plan sets local policy.
If you own land near Reading, the first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal.
What you get in Reading
Indicative scheme
Where prospects look reasonable, we outline what might fit as a broad indication rather than a design, so you can understand the likely scale and form of development.
Planning policy reviewed
We read the adopted development plan, its policies map and any emerging plan, and note how your land is treated: within a settlement boundary, allocated, protected or open countryside.
Services and drainage
We check where sewers, water mains and power run, and flag where limited capacity, long connections or drainage design could add significant cost to a scheme.
Access and highways
We look at road frontage, the likely junction position and visibility, and whether the adopted highway actually reaches your land or stops short of it.
Rules that apply in Reading
In England, most planning applications for new homes in Reading 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, we check the Local Plan and policies map, the Environment Agency's flood map for planning, Green Belt boundaries, designations shown on Defra's MAGIC map, and whether the site appears on the council's brownfield land register. Title comes from HM Land Registry. We also consider whether biodiversity net gain would apply to the likely scheme.
| National planning policy | National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), revised August 2026, with national planning practice guidance |
|---|---|
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority) |
| Land registration | HM Land Registry |
| How a sale becomes binding | A land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, after which the buyer registers the title with HM Land Registry. |
Questions about Free Site Appraisal in Reading
Will you need to visit my land?
Often, if the desktop review shows realistic potential. We will arrange a visit at a time that suits you and explain what we want to look at, such as the access point, boundaries and ground conditions. Many sites can be ruled in or out without a visit.
Will you contact my neighbours or the council?
Not without your agreement. We use what you share to assess your land and discuss it with you. Our desktop review relies on published records and mapping. If talking to a neighbour or the council would help, we will ask you first and explain why.
Can I ask for an appraisal on land I am selling for someone else?
Yes, if you are acting for the owner, for example as an executor, trustee, attorney or land agent. We will need to understand your authority before discussing terms. If you are a buyer looking at land, a planning consultant or surveyor can advise you independently.
Does a site appraisal mean I will get planning permission?
No. Nobody can promise planning permission, because the decision rests with the planning authority, or on appeal. The appraisal gives an informed view of prospects and risks, based on policy and constraints, so you can decide whether pursuing planning is worth the time and cost.
Do you work with landowners in Reading?
We do. We work with landowners in Reading and elsewhere in Berkshire, including Slough, Newbury and Sandhurst. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.
Read more: Free Site Appraisal · Guide: How to sell land for development