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Wanted in Eastbourne

Development land wanted in Eastbourne

Development Land Wanted buys land of every size in Eastbourne and the villages nearby.

In East Sussex, Eastbourne sits about 14 miles south-east of Lewes; Hailsham and Seaford are its nearest neighbours on our list. Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 155 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.

East Sussex runs from Brighton and Hove along the coast to Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings, with inland towns such as Lewes, Uckfield, Hailsham and Crowborough. There is no Green Belt, but the South Downs National Park and the High Weald National Landscape cover a large share of the county, squeezing development between protected countryside and the sea. Typical sites are small edge-of-town fields, infill plots, garden land and urban brownfield sites.

National policy in England now recognises "medium development" of 10 to 49 homes on sites up to 2.5 hectares, and asks councils to allocate at least 10% of their housing on sites of one hectare or less and a further 10% on sites of one to 2.5 hectares.

East Sussex has no designated Green Belt, so the main policy questions near Eastbourne are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.

Land we want in Eastbourne

Edge-of-town meadow with timber survey stakes and orange marker pegs, houses along the far boundary

Residential development land

Around Eastbourne, the residential land that tends to work is close to existing homes, shops and transport rather than out on its own.

Vacant fenced development plot with a council planning notice tied to a lamp post and terraced houses beyond

Land with planning permission

We are interested in sites with planning across the Eastbourne area, including smaller consents that larger housebuilders may pass over.

Gently sloping green field next to an English village with a church tower behind a hawthorn hedge

Land without planning permission

Near Eastbourne, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan.

Cleared former industrial yard with cracked concrete, a palisade fence and an old brick warehouse wall

Brownfield land

Former works, depots and yards in and around Eastbourne can make good housing sites once the ground and neighbouring uses are understood.

Overgrown empty plot between two Edwardian semi-detached houses on a suburban street

Infill plots

We look for infill plots across Eastbourne and the surrounding villages, particularly where there is room for parking off the road.

Long rear gardens behind 1930s semi-detached houses with a gravel access lane along the bottom

Garden and backland plots

Around Eastbourne, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together.

Horse paddock with post-and-rail fencing and a field gate on the edge of a village at evening

Farmland and paddocks

Around Eastbourne, paddocks and fields beside existing homes can have real potential, even where they have been grazed or farmed for generations.

High aerial view of large farmland fields beside a market town, a ring road and a river lined with willows

Strategic land

Around Eastbourne, strategic sites tend to be the big fields between the built edge and the main roads, where a whole new neighbourhood could be planned.

Corner plot of rough grass at a suburban road junction with houses along both roads

Small sites

We want to hear about plots for a few homes anywhere around Eastbourne, including ones a larger builder has already turned down.

Vacant single-storey industrial units with grey roller shutters and an empty tarmac forecourt

Commercial and industrial sites

We look at yards and units across Eastbourne where the business use has run its course or the site sits awkwardly among houses.

Disused two-storey 1960s brick office building with an empty weed-cracked car park among houses

Redundant buildings

We are interested in buildings around Eastbourne that have outlived their original use, whether they would be converted or replaced.

Traditional red-brick barn with clay tile roof beside a modern steel portal-frame barn on a farmyard

Barns and rural buildings

We look at barns and rural yards around Eastbourne and give a straight view on whether conversion or replacement is realistic.

Row of lock-up garages with faded up-and-over doors around a tarmac court behind 1960s houses

Garage courts and yards

We are looking for garage blocks and small yards around Eastbourne, whether they are fully let, partly let or empty.

Overgrown fenced plot with brambles and saplings behind a weathered hoarding between houses

Sites with lapsed or refused planning

If a scheme near Eastbourne was refused or ran out of time, the officer's report usually shows what a better application would need.

Desk with a printed local plan proposals map showing coloured site boundaries and a housing layout sketch

Allocated and promoted land

If your land near Eastbourne appears in the council's plan or its site assessments, send us the reference; it changes the conversation.

Four ways to sell to us

01

Outright purchase

We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.

Outright purchase

02

Subject-to-planning contract

We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.

Subject-to-planning contract

03

Option agreement

You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.

Option agreement

04

Joint venture

You contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed.

What happens after you get in touch

Get in touch
Tell us where the land is and what you know about it.
Site review
We look at the land, its planning position and anything that could affect it.
Proposal
We put our proposal in writing, with no obligation to accept.
Exchange and completion
If you go ahead, contracts are exchanged and the sale completes on the agreed terms.

Questions owners in Eastbourne ask

Can an agent introduce land in Eastbourne to you?

Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.

How quickly can you look at a site in Eastbourne?

For most sites we can give an initial view once we have the location and a plan. Detailed checks follow if the land looks suitable.

Do I need to pay anything to have land in Eastbourne assessed?

No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.

Do you only buy land with planning permission?

No. Much of the land we look at has no planning permission. We assess whether a permission is realistic and can buy subject to planning, take an option or buy outright.

Got land that could take new homes?

Free, no-obligation site appraisal. We buy directly, with or without planning.

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