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Wanted in Norwich

Development land wanted in Norwich

Own land in Norwich that could take new homes? We buy directly, with or without planning.

Norwich is the county town of Norfolk. Nearby places we also cover include North Walsham, East Dereham and Great Yarmouth. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 135 miles from Norwich, and we travel to see sites 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 Norwich are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.

Land we want in Norwich

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

Residential development land

In and around Norwich 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

If you hold a consent in or near Norwich, send us the decision notice and the approved drawings; that is usually enough for a first view.

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 Norwich 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

Brownfield land in Norwich 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

We look for infill plots across Norwich 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

Backland development in Norwich 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 Norwich 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

Around Norwich, 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

Small sites in and around Norwich 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 Norwich, 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 Norwich 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 Norwich 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

Across Norwich, lock-up blocks that are half empty can be a better use of land as homes, with parking handled sensibly.

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

Sites with lapsed or refused planning

We read the planning history of sites across Norwich closely; a past refusal often points straight to the fix.

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 Norwich appears in the council's plan or its site assessments, send us the reference; it changes the conversation.

Choosing how to sell

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

Send the basics
A postcode or plan and a few lines about the land are enough to start.
We do the homework
We check planning history, policy, flood maps and access at no cost to you.
We explain the options
You get a written proposal covering price, structure and timing.
Agree and proceed
Once you are happy, solicitors are instructed and the deal moves forward.

Development land in Norwich: common questions

Is Norwich too far from our Birmingham base?

No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 135 miles from Norwich, and we look at land right across England and Wales.

How quickly can you look at a site in Norwich?

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 Norwich?

As Norwich 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.

Are you an estate agent?

No. We are a buyer. Development Land Wanted is a trading name of S&K Property Investments and Improvement Ltd, part of the S&K Group, and we buy land for our own developments.

Got land that could take new homes?

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

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