Garden and backland plots wanted in Ely
Development Land Wanted buys garden and backland plots in Ely and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
Garden and backland development means building new homes on land behind existing houses. It works best where there is a safe access and enough space to avoid overlooking. We buy single large gardens and assemble neighbouring gardens where owners agree.
- Size
- 1 to 20 homes typically
- Planning
- Usually without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional or outright
The garden and backland plots that interests us around Ely
Around Ely, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. Ely lies about 15 miles north-east of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire. We also cover Newmarket, March, St Ives and the villages between them.
- Long rear gardens backing onto a lane, road or track
- Several neighbouring gardens that could be combined
- Land behind houses with an existing drive or gap for access
- Sites with or without previous applications
Water supply and wastewater capacity have been recurring issues for growth around Cambridge, and Fenland sites usually need careful flood risk evidence. Away from the city, small sites on the edges of villages and market towns along the A14, A10 and A1 corridors are a common source of new housing land.
What decides whether a site in Ely works
Access width
The drive or road into the plot must be safe for cars, bins and emergency vehicles.
Your own property
Selling garden land changes your home, so we plan boundaries and access carefully.
Mortgage consent
If your home is mortgaged, the lender will usually need to release the garden land.
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 92 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
How we could buy your land in Ely
Subject-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 agreementFrom first call to completion
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.
Garden and backland plots in Ely: common questions
Do I pay tax on selling garden land?
Tax depends on your circumstances, including how much land you have and how it has been used. Speak to a tax adviser before you agree terms.
My neighbours might sell too. Does that help?
Often, yes. Combining gardens can create a better site and access. We can talk to each owner and keep the arrangement fair.
How quickly can you look at a site in Ely?
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.
Do I need to pay anything to have land in Ely assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.