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Wanted in East Dereham

Development land wanted in East Dereham

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

East Dereham is in Norfolk, about 16 miles west of Norwich. Nearby places include Norwich, Thetford and North Walsham. Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 120 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.

Norfolk is largely rural, with Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford and market towns such as Dereham, Diss, North Walsham and Downham Market. There is no Green Belt, but the Norfolk Coast National Landscape and the Broads cover sensitive areas. Nutrient neutrality advice has affected much of the county because of protected sites including the Broads and the River Wensum, so drainage is often a key issue for village and edge-of-town sites.

Since 6 August 2026, non-major development on sites of 0.2 hectares or less in England has generally been exempt from mandatory biodiversity net gain, unless priority habitat is affected. That makes many small sites simpler to bring forward.

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

Land we want in East Dereham

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

Residential development land

Sites on the edge of East Dereham or the villages nearby can be worth a conversation, especially where they are well connected by road and bus or rail.

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

Land with planning permission

For consented land around East Dereham, the first things we read are the decision notice, the conditions and any legal agreement attached to the permission.

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

Land without planning permission

For land on the edges of East Dereham with no consent yet, the first questions are access, flood risk and how the council's current plan treats the area.

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

Brownfield land

In East Dereham, the brownfield sites we look at are often tucked behind main roads or alongside older housing, close to services.

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

Infill plots

Infill gaps in East Dereham's established streets can be among the easiest small sites to bring forward when the design respects the neighbours.

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

Garden and backland plots

Around East Dereham, 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

Fields that wrap around the edges of East Dereham 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 East Dereham 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

In East Dereham, small sites are often the leftover pieces: a side garden, an old garage block or a gap where a building once stood.

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

Commercial and industrial sites

In East Dereham, 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

We are interested in buildings around East Dereham 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

Farm buildings near East Dereham that have fallen out of use may suit conversion, particularly traditional barns with a good access.

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 East Dereham, 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 East Dereham 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 East Dereham, 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.

Ways to sell development land in East Dereham

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.

The next steps

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.

Frequently asked in Norfolk

Is East Dereham too far from our Birmingham base?

No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 120 miles from East Dereham, and we look at land right across England and Wales.

How quickly can you look at a site in East Dereham?

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 East Dereham assessed?

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

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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