Garden and backland plots wanted in Torquay
We are actively looking for garden and backland plots in Torquay and the surrounding area, with or without planning permission.
A backland plot is land behind existing buildings, usually large rear gardens, reached by a new or existing access. Garden land can sometimes take new homes, especially where several neighbours sell together or a lane runs along the back.

- Size
- 1 to 20 homes typically
- Planning
- Usually without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional or outright
What garden and backland plots we want near Torquay
Around Torquay, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. In Devon, Torquay sits about 18 miles south of Exeter; Paignton and Brixham are its nearest neighbours on our list.
- Several neighbouring gardens that could be combined
- Land behind houses with an existing drive or gap for access
- Plots where the owner wants to keep their house
- Sites with or without previous applications
The A30, A38 and M5 corridors and the main line from Exeter to Plymouth carry most of Devon's planned growth, including new communities east of Exeter. In coastal towns, flood risk and coastal change can affect sites, while nutrient neutrality advice has applied in the River Axe catchment on the Dorset border.
What usually makes or breaks it
Access width
The drive or road into the plot must be safe for cars, bins and emergency vehicles.
Overlooking
New homes must sit far enough from existing homes to protect privacy.
Your own property
Selling garden land changes your home, so we plan boundaries and access carefully.
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 160 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
Four ways to sell to us
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
The usual route: we apply and you only sell if 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.
Questions owners in Torquay ask
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.
Is Torquay too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 160 miles from Torquay, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
Can an agent introduce land in Torquay to you?
Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.
