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For landowners · West Sussex

Sell Land Without Planning in East Grinstead

Can I sell land without planning in East Grinstead?

Land without planning permission in East Grinstead can still be sold for development. Its value rests on hope, meaning how likely it is that new homes will be allowed. Land to Homes can buy suitable sites as they stand, agree a contract that completes only if planning is granted, or partner with you through an option or promotion agreement.

Grass field bordered by a hedgerow, with the backs of a housing estate along one sideEast Grinstead · RH19

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Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.

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  • 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 and sites near East Grinstead

About 8 miles east of Crawley, East Grinstead is part of our West Sussex coverage, centred on postcode district RH19. If your land sits between towns, Horley, Crawley and Crowborough are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Within England, East Grinstead falls in the South East region.

Sites worth a conversation around East Grinstead: redundant commercial buildings, infill gaps along existing streets and corner plots and side gardens. In England, where East Grinstead sits, planning decisions are made by the local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority).

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

What you get in East Grinstead

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.

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.

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.

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.

The English system, as it applies in East Grinstead

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 East Grinstead 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 East Grinstead
Local planning documentLocal Plan
Who decides applicationsThe local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority)
In-principle consentOutline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer)Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)

Sell Land Without Planning in East Grinstead: questions

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.

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.

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.

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 East Grinstead?

Yes. Land to Homes looks at land in East Grinstead and elsewhere in West Sussex, including Crawley, Burgess Hill and Littlehampton. 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: Overage and clawback: how they work when you sell land

Own land that could take new homes?

Start with a free, no-obligation site appraisal. On option and promotion agreements we fund the planning work and pay your reasonable legal fees.

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