Garden and backland plots wanted in Leicester
Development Land Wanted buys garden and backland plots in Leicester 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
Is your land in Leicester the kind we want?
Around Leicester, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. Leicester is the county town of Leicestershire. Nearby places we also cover include Oadby, Wigston and Mountsorrel.
- 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
The M1, M69 and Midland Main Line corridors carry most growth, with urban extensions around Leicester and Loughborough. In the north-west, nutrient advice for the River Mease has affected schemes, and much of the area near Coalville is former coalfield, so mining risk checks can apply.
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.
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.
Leicestershire has no designated Green Belt, so the main policy questions near Leicester are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.
Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 33 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.
Ways to sell garden and backland plots in Leicester
Subject-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 agreementJoint venture
You contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed.
Joint ventureWhat happens after you get in touch
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.
Garden and backland plots in Leicester: common questions
Will selling part of my garden affect my house value?
It can, and the effect varies. We plan the boundary and access to protect your home, and you should take independent advice on the overall position.
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.
How quickly can you look at a site in Leicester?
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.
Which planning rules apply to land in Leicester?
As Leicester 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.