Commercial and industrial sites wanted in Harlow
We are actively looking for commercial and industrial sites in Harlow and the surrounding area, with or without planning permission.
Commercial and industrial sites can sometimes be redeveloped for housing, particularly when they sit among homes or are no longer needed for business. We assess whether a change to residential is realistic and buy suitable sites across England and Wales.
- Size
- Any
- Planning
- With or without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
The commercial and industrial sites that interests us around Harlow
Older business land around Harlow, especially units now surrounded by housing, is the kind of commercial site we would like to discuss. Harlow is in Essex, about 16 miles west of Chelmsford. Nearby places include Hoddesdon, Ware and Bishop's Stortford.
- 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
The Thames estuary, the Blackwater and the Colne bring flood risk and coastal habitat considerations, and many coastal schemes contribute to recreational disturbance mitigation for protected birds. The A12, A120 and Great Eastern Main Line corridors, and the Dedham Vale and Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscapes in the north, shape where growth goes.
What usually makes or breaks it
Contamination
Past industrial uses usually need investigation.
Neighbouring businesses
Homes next to noisy uses may need mitigation or may not be acceptable.
Permitted development (England)
Some changes from commercial to residential use can be made through prior approval rather than a full application.
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.
Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 101 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
How we could buy your land in Harlow
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.
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 agreementHow a sale to us works
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
My units are still let. Can you buy?
Yes, in many cases. We look at the leases and break dates and can plan a purchase around them.
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 Harlow too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 101 miles from Harlow, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
How quickly can you look at a site in Harlow?
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.