Council and Housing Partnerships in Dorset
If you are a council or housing association looking for new homes in Dorset, there are several ways to work with Land to Homes. We can sell you completed homes on a site we control, bring forward land for a scheme you will own, build on your land under a design and build contract, or deliver the affordable homes a planning agreement requires.
DorsetTalk to us about a partnership
Tell us about your organisation and the homes you need.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.
- Private conversationsEvery arrangement documented
- Land to homesLand, planning and construction
- Housing partnersCouncils and housing associations
- No public offerNothing here is an offer to invest
- UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI
Homes we plan around Dorset
Our Dorset coverage takes in 4 towns and cities, centred on Bournemouth and including Weymouth, Christchurch and Poole. Next door, we also cover Isle of Wight, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
People registering interest around Dorset can tell us whether they want homes for private rent, larger family homes or homes for affordable rent. Planning in Dorset follows England’s rules: the National Planning Policy Framework sets national policy and the council’s Local Plan sets local policy.
Tell us what you need in Dorset and we will be in touch if homes are released nearby.
Why work with Land to Homes in Dorset
Standards agreed up front
Provider design standards, space standards and energy targets are agreed at the start, so the homes are ready to transfer on completion.
Planning obligation homes
The affordable homes required by a Section 106, Section 75 or Section 76 agreement, designed with a provider and transferred on completion.
Council land disposals
We respond to council land disposals and development opportunities where the terms suit, following the process the council sets.
Design and build
We design and build homes on land owned by a council or provider, to its specification and within its procurement rules.
Planning and land rules in Dorset
Affordable homes in Dorset are usually funded through a mix of Section 106 contributions from market schemes and grant from Homes England's Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036, or from the Greater London Authority in London. Registered providers, regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, own and manage most of them. Land to Homes can bring forward land and build homes for councils and housing associations, including homes for Social Rent.
In England, registered providers, including housing associations and for-profit providers, are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing. Affordable homes are usually secured through Section 106 agreements, and grant is channelled through Homes England, or the Greater London Authority in London. Councils follow procurement rules and their legal duties on value when disposing of land or appointing partners.
| National planning policy | National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), revised August 2026, with national planning practice guidance |
|---|---|
| Local planning document | Local Plan |
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority) |
| In-principle consent | Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later |
| Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer) | Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) |
| 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. |
| Developer contributions | Section 106 planning obligations, plus the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) where the council charges it |
Common questions in Dorset
How do council land disposals work?
When a council sells or leases land for housing, it usually has legal duties around obtaining value and must follow its own disposal and procurement rules. Disposals may be marketed openly, offered through a development partner process or tendered. Land to Homes responds to opportunities where the terms suit, following the process the council sets.
What is a package deal for affordable housing?
A package deal is where a developer sells completed affordable homes on a site it controls to a housing association or other registered provider. The mix, design, specification and price are agreed before the homes are built, and the provider takes ownership on completion. Package deals are often how affordable homes required by a planning permission are delivered.
What is a land-led scheme?
A land-led scheme is one where land is secured and a scheme is planned around a provider's needs, rather than the provider buying a share of homes within a market-led development. It can allow a higher proportion of affordable homes, or a fully affordable scheme, where planning policy and funding support it.
What are Section 106 affordable homes?
They are affordable homes a developer must provide under a Section 106 agreement attached to a planning permission in England or Wales. The agreement sets the number, tenure and often the transfer terms, and the homes are usually sold to a registered provider. Scotland uses Section 75 agreements and Northern Ireland uses Section 76 agreements for similar purposes.
Are there new homes available in Dorset now?
Not yet. Land to Homes has no homes available in Dorset at the moment. You can register your interest for Dorset, and we will contact you if we bring homes forward there or nearby.
Read more: Council and Housing Association Partnerships · Guide: How affordable and social homes are delivered across the UK