Sell Land Without Planning in Formby

Our coverage in Formby

Formby (L37) is one of the Merseyside towns we cover, about 11 miles north of Liverpool. The nearest other places we cover are Maghull (6 miles), Southport (7 miles) and Bootle (7 miles). Within England, Formby falls in the North West region.

Around Formby we look at fields put forward or allocated in the local plan, redundant commercial buildings and farmland next to the settlement boundary. Planning in Formby follows England’s rules: the National Planning Policy Framework sets national policy and the council’s Local Plan sets local policy.

Tell us where your land is around Formby and we will explain the routes open to you.

Why work with Land to Homes in Formby

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.

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.

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.

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.

How the rules work in Formby

Whether a field or large garden could take homes depends mostly on the council's Local Plan and national policy. Under the National Planning Policy Framework, plans define settlement boundaries, and land just outside Formby may still come forward if it is allocated, previously developed or meets evidenced unmet housing need. Smaller housing schemes can also use Permission in Principle, an England-only route that settles location, use and amount first. Our free appraisal explains which route suits your land.

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.

Key rules in Formby
National planning policy	National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), revised August 2026, with national planning practice guidance
In-principle consent	Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
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

Your questions answered for Formby

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.

Can I keep using the land while planning is pursued?

Usually, yes. Under options and promotion agreements you normally keep ownership and can carry on using the land, for example for grazing or farming, until it is sold. The agreement sets out access for surveys and any restrictions, such as on granting new long-term tenancies.

What if my land has been refused planning before?

A previous refusal is useful evidence, not necessarily the end of the story. Policy changes, new local plans and a different scheme can lead to a different outcome. We read the refusal reasons and any appeal decision before giving a view on whether a fresh approach is realistic and worth the cost.

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.

Do you work with landowners in Formby?

We do. We work with landowners in Formby and elsewhere in Merseyside, including Garston, Huyton and Birkenhead. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.