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Wanted in Manchester

Development land wanted in Manchester

We are looking for development land in and around Manchester: plots, fields, brownfield sites and buildings.

Manchester is the main city of Greater Manchester. Nearby places we also cover include Salford, Stretford and Eccles. Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 66 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.

Most of the city-region is covered by a joint strategic plan, and Metrolink and rail corridors are a focus for higher-density homes. The eastern edge around Saddleworth includes part of the Peak District National Park, where landscape is a significant constraint on development.

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.

Parts of Greater Manchester are Green Belt, though not every town has any nearby. We check early whether a site is inside it and, if so, whether a grey belt or previously developed land case could apply.

Land we want in Manchester

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

Residential development land

In and around Manchester we are interested in land that sits naturally alongside existing streets, where new homes would read as part of the place.

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 Manchester 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 Manchester, 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

Brownfield land in Manchester tends to be well located for homes; the questions are usually about contamination, demolition and neighbours.

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

Infill plots

Around Manchester, infill plots are often side gardens or gaps left between older houses; the street's character usually sets the design.

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

Garden and backland plots

Backland development in Manchester turns on access and privacy; we look at both before suggesting whether an application is worth making.

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

Farmland and paddocks

Fields that wrap around the edges of Manchester and its neighbouring villages are the farmland we most want to talk about.

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

Strategic land

Larger landholdings on the approaches to Manchester are where strategic land usually comes from, particularly near transport links.

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

Small sites

Small sites in and around Manchester are central to what we look for, from corner plots to the odd field on the edge of a nearby village.

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

Commercial and industrial sites

In Manchester, industrial land that has drifted out of use can often be reimagined as homes, subject to the council's view on employment land.

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

Redundant buildings

Redundant buildings in Manchester often sit in the heart of things, close to shops and transport, which can make them strong residential sites.

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 Manchester 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 Manchester, 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

Sites around Manchester with an old refusal can be worth a second look, especially where local or national policy has since changed.

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

Allocated and promoted land

Around Manchester, allocated sites and land put forward to the council are usually the furthest along, so they can often move faster than land at an earlier stage.

How we could buy your land in Manchester

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.

From first call to completion

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.

Your questions answered

Can an agent introduce land in Manchester 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 Manchester?

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.

Which planning rules apply to land in Manchester?

As Manchester is in England, national policy comes from the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026. Local policies in the council's development plan also apply.

Is there a minimum or maximum site size?

No. We look at single building plots through to land for 50 or more homes.

Got land that could take new homes?

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

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