Sell Land Without Planning in Armagh
Most development land in Armagh 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.
Armagh · BT61Free 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 Armagh
Armagh sits about 10 miles south-west of Portadown in County Armagh, in the BT61 postcode district. Portadown is the closest neighbouring place we cover, at about 10 miles, followed by Dungannon and Lurgan.
Typical sites we review near Armagh include backland plots with a workable access, land behind street frontages and corner plots and side gardens. Planning in Armagh follows Northern Ireland’s rules: the Strategic Planning Policy Statement sets national policy and the council’s Local Development Plan sets local policy.
If you own land near Armagh, the first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal.
What you get in Armagh
Constraints checked first
Flood risk, access, heritage, ecology, protected trees and landscape designations can each decide whether planning is realistic. We look at all of these before discussing any deal or price mechanism with you.
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.
Planning funded on promotion
Nothing to pay upfront: on a promotion agreement we fund the planning work, and those costs are recovered from the sale proceeds only if the land sells with planning. The detail is set out in the heads of terms.
Option or promotion routes
Where planning will take longer, an option or promotion agreement lets us fund the application while you keep ownership. We explain the difference, including who benefits from a higher or lower sale price.
Planning in Armagh: the Northern Irish rules
Countryside planning policy in Northern Ireland is generally restrictive, so land inside or next to the settlement development limits around Armagh is usually the strongest prospect for new homes. Outline planning permission can establish the principle, with reserved matters approved later. A promotion agreement lets us fund that planning work, with our costs recovered from the sale proceeds only if the land sells with planning. Your reasonable legal fees are covered too, agreed in the heads of terms.
In Northern Ireland, councils are replacing older area plans with new local development plans made up of a plan strategy and then a local policies plan that zones land. Until zoning is settled, development limits and countryside policy in the SPPS and PPS 21, or a council's own adopted policies, make land outside settlements difficult.
| Who decides applications | The 11 district councils, with the Department for Infrastructure deciding regionally significant applications |
|---|---|
| In-principle consent | Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later |
| How a sale becomes binding | A land sale becomes legally binding when contracts signed by both parties are exchanged and finishes on completion, with the title registered in the Land Registry at Land & Property Services. |
| Developer contributions | Section 76 planning agreements under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (there is no Community Infrastructure Levy) |
Your questions answered for Armagh
What is hope value?
Hope value is the extra amount a buyer will pay above a site's existing use value because there is a realistic prospect of planning permission. The stronger the prospect, and the sooner permission could realistically come, the higher the hope value tends to be. It is lower than the value with permission, because the buyer carries the planning risk.
What is a subject to planning contract?
It is a contract where both sides commit now, but the sale only completes if a satisfactory planning permission is granted. It sets a longstop date, defines what counts as satisfactory and usually says who controls the application. If permission is not granted by the longstop date, either side can normally withdraw without penalty.
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.
Do you work with landowners in Armagh?
We do. We work with landowners in Armagh and elsewhere in County Armagh, including Portadown and Lurgan. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.
Read more: Sell Land Without Planning · Guide: Green Belt and grey belt land explained