Sell Land Without Planning in Cambridge
Most development land in Cambridge starts life with no planning at all. If your field, yard or paddock sits close to existing homes, you have a choice: take a lower price now and pass the risk to a buyer, or wait for planning and share in the higher value. We set out both sides in writing after a free appraisal.
Cambridge · CB2Free 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 Cambridge
We cover Cambridge as part of Cambridgeshire. It is about 30 miles south-east of Peterborough, around postcode district CB2. If your land sits between towns, Newmarket, Ely and Huntingdon are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Cambridge is in the East of England region of England.
In and around Cambridge, the land we appraise ranges from fields put forward or allocated in the local plan to backland plots with a workable access, including infill gaps along existing streets. In England, where Cambridge sits, planning decisions are made by the local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority).
A postcode and a rough boundary are enough for us to start a free appraisal of land near Cambridge.
Why work with Land to Homes in Cambridge
Local plan timing
Councils review their development plans periodically and invite landowners to put sites forward. We check where your council is in that cycle, because it can matter more than any single application.
Conditional contracts
Contracts are signed now, but the sale only completes if a satisfactory planning permission is granted by a longstop date. The price is usually fixed, or set by an agreed formula, when the contract is signed.
Hope value explained
Land with no permission but a realistic chance of one is worth more than its current use value, but less than consented land. We explain where your site sits on that scale and why.
Buying land as it stands
Where we can see a planning route we are prepared to back, we can buy your land as it stands, with no onward chain, subject to survey, title and contract.
Planning and land rules in Cambridge
In England, most planning applications for new homes in Cambridge 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, the starting point is the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. Councils assess land put forward in a housing and economic land availability assessment. Smaller housing-led sites can apply for Permission in Principle to test whether the location is acceptable, and some Green Belt land may now be assessed as grey belt.
| 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) |
Sell Land Without Planning in Cambridge: questions
Can I get planning on land outside the settlement boundary?
Sometimes. Land just outside a boundary is usually treated as countryside, where new housing is restricted. Prospects improve if the council allocates the land in a new plan, or where national policy gives weight to unmet housing need. Each nation handles this differently, so we explain the position for your council area.
What is a call for sites?
When a council prepares or reviews its development plan, it usually invites landowners and developers to put land forward for consideration. Submitting your site does not mean it will be allocated, but it puts the land in front of the council's planning team. In Wales this is usually called the candidate site process.
Should I apply for planning permission myself before selling?
You can, but an application costs money in surveys, reports and fees, and a refusal can make the land harder to sell. A scheme designed by someone who does not intend to build may also not suit housebuilders. Many landowners prefer a partner who carries the cost and risk of planning instead.
Is a field with no road frontage worth selling for development?
It can be, but access is the first question any buyer asks. If the only route in crosses land owned by someone else, rights need to be agreed or a strip bought. We check title plans and highway records before suggesting any deal, so you know whether access is a hurdle or a dead end.
Do you buy land in Cambridge?
Yes. Land to Homes looks at land in Cambridge and elsewhere in Cambridgeshire, including March, St Neots and Huntingdon. Every enquiry starts with a free site appraisal, and on option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees.
Read more: Sell Land Without Planning · Guide: How is development land valued?