Subject-to-planning contract for land in Shropshire
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.
A subject-to-planning (conditional) contract is a sale agreed now that only completes once planning permission is granted on terms both sides have defined. We normally pay for the application, and if permission is not obtained the contract can end and the landowner keeps the land.
Subject-to-planning contract for land in Shropshire
Subject-to-planning contract is one of four ways we buy land in Shropshire. Shropshire includes Telford and Shrewsbury alongside market towns such as Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Newport and Ludlow, and a large rural area. Green Belt covers the east of the county next to the West Midlands, and the Shropshire Hills National Landscape covers much of the south. Typical sites include edge-of-town fields, farm buildings, village infill and former industrial land, especially around Telford's older settlements.
Flood risk along the Severn affects Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth and riverside villages, and the M54 corridor links Telford with the West Midlands. Telford was built as a new town and still has land for regeneration, while many rural parishes plan small-scale growth through neighbourhood plans.
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.
In England, a planning permission normally has to be implemented within three years unless the council sets a different period, and councils aim to decide minor applications within eight weeks and major ones within thirteen.
Parts of Shropshire 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.
Parts of Shropshire fall within Shropshire Hills National Landscape. Protected landscapes carry strong policy protection, so land in or next to them needs particularly careful assessment.
In short: we agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted. It usually suits land without planning that has a realistic route; infill, garden and small sites; owners who want a value linked to planning without funding it. See how a subject-to-planning contract works for the full process, pros and cons.
Land in Shropshire that often suits a subject-to-planning contract
WantedLand with planning permission
We are interested in sites with planning across the Shrewsbury area, including smaller consents that larger housebuilders may pass over. Used where a fresh or amended application would improve the scheme.
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WantedInfill plots
Infill gaps in Shrewsbury's established streets can be among the easiest small sites to bring forward when the design respects the neighbours. Common for infill: we apply, and you sell once permission is granted.
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WantedFarmland and paddocks
Fields that wrap around the edges of Shrewsbury and its neighbouring villages are the farmland we most want to talk about. Works well for smaller paddocks and edge-of-village fields.
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WantedGreen Belt and grey belt land
If you own Green Belt land in Shropshire, its previous use and how enclosed it already is will shape whether a grey belt route exists. Works for smaller previously developed Green Belt sites.
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WantedStrategic land
Around Shrewsbury, strategic sites tend to be the big fields between the built edge and the main roads, where a whole new neighbourhood could be planned. Possible for the first phase of a larger holding.
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WantedCommercial and industrial sites
Older business land around Shrewsbury, especially units now surrounded by housing, is the kind of commercial site we would like to discuss. Used where a change of use still needs consent.
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WantedRedundant buildings
Across Shrewsbury, empty offices, shops and former pubs can find a new life as homes when the building and the planning position line up. Used where consent or prior approval is still needed.
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WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
If a scheme near Shrewsbury was refused or ran out of time, the officer's report usually shows what a better application would need. The usual route: we make the revised application and complete on success.
Learn moreTowns we cover in Shropshire
Subject-to-planning contract: questions
What counts as a satisfactory permission?
The contract defines it: usually the number and type of homes, acceptable conditions and planning obligations, and the end of the judicial review period.
What happens if planning is refused?
The contract normally lets us appeal, re-apply or withdraw within set timescales. If it ends, you keep your land.
Is there a deposit?
Sometimes a modest deposit is paid on exchange; terms vary by site and are set out in the heads of terms.
Do you use subject-to-planning contracts for land in Shropshire?
Yes. We use subject-to-planning contracts across Shropshire and the rest of England, where the structure suits the site and the owner.