Garden and backland plots wanted in Nelson
We want to hear from owners of garden and backland plots in Nelson. There is nothing to pay us, and you are under no obligation.
If you have a long garden, or land behind your house with access to a lane or road, it may be a backland plot. We assess access, neighbours and the council's policy on garden land before suggesting a way forward.

- 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 Nelson
Backland development in Nelson turns on access and privacy; we look at both before suggesting whether an application is worth making. Nelson is in Lancashire, about 21 miles east of Preston. Nearby places include Colne, Burnley and Accrington.
- Long rear gardens backing onto a lane, road or track
- Paddocks and orchards behind homes on the edge of a village
- Plots where the owner wants to keep their house
- Sites with or without previous applications
Lancashire includes Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Blackpool and Lancaster alongside the Fylde coast resorts, the East Lancashire mill towns and many rural villages. Green Belt covers much of the south and east, between the Merseyside and Greater Manchester conurbations, and smaller areas around Blackpool and Lancaster. Former mill and industrial land, edge-of-town fields and village infill are the usual sources of housing land, with grey belt now relevant on parts of the urban fringe.
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.
Mortgage consent
If your home is mortgaged, the lender will usually need to release the garden land.
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.
Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 90 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
How we could buy your land in Nelson
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 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.
Frequently asked in Lancashire
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.
What if my mortgage lender says no?
Lenders usually agree where the sale reduces the debt or the remaining security is adequate. We build time for this into the process.
Is Nelson too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 90 miles from Nelson, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
Which planning rules apply to land in Nelson?
As Nelson 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.
