Brownfield land wanted in Reading
Development Land Wanted buys brownfield land in Reading and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
If your land has buildings, hardstanding or a past industrial use, it is likely to count as brownfield. Reusing these sites is a planning priority, and we are buyers for yards, depots and cleared plots across England and Wales.
- Size
- Any
- Planning
- With or without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
What brownfield land we want near Reading
Brownfield land in Reading tends to be well located for homes; the questions are usually about contamination, demolition and neighbours. Reading is the county town of Berkshire. Nearby places we also cover include Wokingham, Crowthorne and Yateley.
- Cleared sites and land with hardstanding
- Yards and builders' compounds within towns
- Land with buildings that would be demolished
- Sites with known contamination where the history is documented
The Elizabeth line, the Great Western Main Line and the M4 make many Berkshire settlements well connected, which matters under England's revised planning policy on locations near stations. Older office and commercial buildings in the larger towns, and paddocks and smallholdings on village edges, are common sources of smaller residential sites.
Checks we make on brownfield land in Reading
Contamination
Past uses can leave contamination; desk studies and site investigation show what remediation is needed.
Neighbouring uses
Noise or smells from neighbouring businesses can affect whether homes are acceptable.
Existing floorspace
Vacant buildings can reduce affordable housing requirements in some cases (vacant building credit, England).
National policy in England now recognises "medium development" of 10 to 49 homes on sites up to 2.5 hectares, and asks councils to allocate at least 10% of their housing on sites of one hectare or less and a further 10% on sites of one to 2.5 hectares.
Some land in Berkshire 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.
We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 85 miles from Reading, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
Common for brownfield, with contamination and demolition allowed for in the price.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractThe next steps
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.
Questions owners in Reading ask
Do I have to clear the site first?
No. We can buy with buildings and hardstanding in place and deal with demolition ourselves.
Is brownfield land easier to get planning on?
National policy in England and Wales supports making good use of previously developed land, but each site still needs to meet local policies.
How quickly can you look at a site in Reading?
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 Reading?
As Reading 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.