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Wanted in Caterham

Development land wanted in Caterham

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

Caterham is in Surrey, about 22 miles east of Guildford. Nearby places include Coulsdon, Purley and Redhill. Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 117 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.

Surrey is a county of commuter towns, including Woking, Guildford, Epsom, Reigate, Redhill, Camberley, Staines-upon-Thames and Farnham, and many villages. Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, and the Surrey Hills and High Weald National Landscapes cover much of the south. Previously developed land, infill plots, garden and backland sites and grey belt are therefore central to housing supply, with larger sites usually allocated through local plans.

The August 2026 NPPF supports homes within reasonable walking distance (around 800 metres) of well-connected railway stations, with minimum densities of 35 homes per hectare, or 45 near higher-frequency stations.

Parts of Surrey 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 Caterham

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

Residential development land

Around Caterham, 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

For consented land around Caterham, 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

Near Caterham, 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

In Caterham, 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

Around Caterham, 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

Around Caterham, 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 Caterham 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 Caterham 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 Caterham 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 Caterham, 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 Caterham 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 Caterham 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

Across Caterham, 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 Caterham 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 Caterham 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.

How a sale to us works

Tell us about the land
Use the form or call us with the location and a rough outline of the site.
Free appraisal
We review title, planning and constraints and tell you honestly what we think.
Written offer
If the site suits us, we set out an offer and the way we propose to buy.
Solicitors take over
Your solicitor and ours agree the contract; we keep you informed throughout.

Development land in Caterham: common questions

Do you buy development land in Caterham?

Yes. We buy development land in Caterham and throughout Surrey, as well as elsewhere in England and Wales. Tell us where the land is and we will give you a free appraisal.

Which planning rules apply to land in Caterham?

As Caterham 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.

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

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

Can I keep using the land until the sale?

Usually, yes. Under a subject-to-planning contract or an option, current uses can normally continue until completion.

Got land that could take new homes?

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

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