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Wanted in Dorking

Development land wanted in Dorking

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

Sitting about 10 miles east of Guildford, Dorking is within Surrey, with Leatherhead and Reigate close by. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 113 miles from Dorking, and we travel to see sites across 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.

Where an English council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land, or its Housing Delivery Test result falls below 75%, the August 2026 NPPF can give policy support to suitable housing outside settlement boundaries.

Some land in Surrey is designated Green Belt. If your land is within it, it may still qualify as grey belt or previously developed land under national policy, subject to the Golden Rules.

Land we want in Dorking

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

Residential development land

Around Dorking, 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

If you hold a consent in or near Dorking, 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

Plenty of land around Dorking has never had permission. What we look for first is whether new homes would fit with the existing pattern of the place.

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 Dorking 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

Infill gaps in Dorking'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

In parts of Dorking with long gardens or rear lanes, backland plots can work well if the access is wide enough and neighbours are treated fairly.

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

Farmland and paddocks

We are looking for farmland near Dorking with a realistic access, ideally land the owner has already put forward to the local plan.

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

Strategic land

If you own a substantial holding near Dorking, the council's plan timetable will shape when and how it could be promoted.

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

Small sites

In Dorking, 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 Dorking, 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 Dorking 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 Dorking 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 Dorking, 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

Sites around Dorking 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

We are interested in land around Dorking at any plan stage, from a first submission to an adopted allocation.

How we could buy your land in Dorking

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

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 Dorking: common questions

Do you buy development land in Dorking?

Yes. We buy development land in Dorking 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.

Can an agent introduce land in Dorking 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 Dorking?

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.

What kind of land do you buy?

Land that could take new homes: fields and paddocks next to settlements, brownfield sites, infill and garden plots, garage courts, redundant buildings, barns, land with planning and larger strategic sites. We buy in England and Wales.

Got land that could take new homes?

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

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