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For landowners · Kent

Sell Land for Development in Rochester

Can I sell land for development in Rochester?

If you own land in Rochester that could take new homes, you can sell it to Land to Homes as it stands or let us take it through planning first. Selling now gives you certainty. Going through planning first usually raises what the land is worth. On promotion agreements we fund the planning work, and on option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees.

Misty paddock at sunrise on the edge of a market town with a church spireRochester · ME1

Free 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 Rochester

About 8 miles north of Maidstone, Rochester is part of our Kent coverage, centred on postcode district ME1. If your land sits between towns, Chatham, Strood and Gillingham are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Rochester is part of England’s South East region.

In and around Rochester, the land we appraise ranges from paddocks on the edge of Rochester to backland plots with a workable access, including farmland next to the settlement boundary. In England, where Rochester 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 Rochester.

How we work in Rochester

Every nation covered

We work across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and tailor each deal to the planning and conveyancing rules that apply where your land sits.

Three ways to sell

A direct purchase, an option agreement or a promotion agreement. We explain the trade-off between certainty now and value later, in writing, so you can compare like with like.

We build what we buy

Land to Homes is part of the S&K Group, a construction and property group, so we plan sites around homes we can actually build and deliver.

Direct purchase on suitable sites

Where a site suits us, we can buy it ourselves with or without planning, with no onward chain, subject to survey, title and contract.

Planning in Rochester: the English rules

In England, most planning applications for new homes in Rochester 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, planning decisions follow the National Planning Policy Framework and the council's Local Plan. Where a council cannot show enough land for housing, sites on the edge of settlements can come forward sooner, which affects whether we buy now or promote.

Key rules in Rochester
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)
How a sale becomes bindingA land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, after which the buyer registers the title with HM Land Registry.

Your questions answered for Rochester

How much is my land worth for development?

It depends on how many homes the site could take, what those homes would sell for locally, and the costs of building them, including roads, drainage, affordable housing and planning obligations. Agricultural or paddock land without planning prospects is worth far less than land with permission. Our free appraisal explains the factors for your site.

What makes land suitable for new homes?

Good road access, a position next to or within an existing settlement, no overriding constraints such as high flood risk, and local planning policy that supports new housing. Sites that miss one of these can still work, but the route and timescale change.

What size of land do you buy?

From single infill plots that could take one or two homes up to fields large enough for a full development. If a site is too small or too constrained for us, we will tell you quickly rather than leave you waiting.

Will I have to pay tax when I sell land?

Selling land can create a Capital Gains Tax or Income Tax liability depending on your circumstances. We are not tax advisers, so we always recommend speaking to an accountant before you agree terms. GOV.UK has a guide to tax when you sell land and property.

Do you work with landowners in Rochester?

We do. We work with landowners in Rochester and elsewhere in Kent, including Canterbury, Faversham and Deal. Send us a postcode and we will start with a free, no-obligation appraisal of what the land could take.

Read more: Sell Land for Development · Guide: How to sell land for development

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.

CallFree appraisal