Commercial and industrial sites wanted in St Austell
Looking to sell commercial and industrial sites near St Austell? We assess every site on its merits and explain the options in plain English.
Older commercial and industrial land within towns is often better suited to homes than to modern business. We are interested in units, yards and estates where redevelopment for housing is realistic.
- Size
- Any
- Planning
- With or without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
Commercial and industrial sites we are looking for in St Austell
Older business land around St Austell, especially units now surrounded by housing, is the kind of commercial site we would like to discuss. St Austell is in Cornwall, about 13 miles north-east of Truro. Nearby places include Bodmin, Truro and Newquay.
- Commercial land that is vacant or underused
- Sites with tenants on short leases or approaching breaks
- Builders' yards, depots and storage land
- Land where employment use has been marketed without success
Cornwall has no Green Belt, but landscape designation is extensive: the Cornwall National Landscape covers large stretches of coast and countryside, alongside the Tamar Valley and Isles of Scilly National Landscapes. Settlements are dispersed, from Truro, Camborne, Redruth and St Austell to many small coastal and inland villages. Sites coming forward are often edge-of-settlement fields, farm buildings, former mining and china clay land, and rural exception sites for local needs.
What decides whether a site in St Austell works
Leases
Tenancies and their protection affect when the site can be redeveloped.
Contamination
Past industrial uses usually need investigation.
Permitted development (England)
Some changes from commercial to residential use can be made through prior approval rather than a full application.
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.
Cornwall has no designated Green Belt, so the main policy questions near St Austell are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.
Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 196 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.
How we could buy your land in St Austell
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
Used where a change of use still needs consent.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.
Option agreementFrom first call to completion
Get in touch
Tell us where the land is and what you know about it.
Site review
We look at the land, its planning position and anything that could affect it.
Proposal
We put our proposal in writing, with no obligation to accept.
Exchange and completion
If you go ahead, contracts are exchanged and the sale completes on the agreed terms.
Your questions answered
Do I need to market the site first?
Not to sell to us. Marketing evidence can, however, support a planning case for change of use.
Is permitted development an option?
In England, some commercial-to-residential changes can use prior approval. Whether it applies depends on the use, the building and local restrictions.
Do you buy commercial and industrial sites in St Austell?
Yes. We buy commercial and industrial sites in St Austell and throughout Cornwall, 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 St Austell?
As St Austell 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.