Garden and backland plots wanted in St Helens
We are actively looking for garden and backland plots in St Helens and the surrounding area, with or without planning permission.
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 St Helens
Around St Helens, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. St Helens is in Merseyside, about 10 miles east of Liverpool. Nearby places include Haydock, Prescot and Ashton-in-Makerfield.
- Several neighbouring gardens that could be combined
- Land behind houses with an existing drive or gap for access
- Paddocks and orchards behind homes on the edge of a village
- Plots where the owner wants to keep their house
Merseyside centres on Liverpool, with Birkenhead and Wallasey across the Mersey, Southport and Formby on the coast, and towns such as St Helens, Bootle, Huyton and Kirkby. Green Belt separates many of these places and covers much of the remaining open land, so most housing comes from previously developed land, docks, former industrial estates and town-centre sites. Grey belt and small fringe sites can also come forward.
Before we make an offer in St Helens
Overlooking
New homes must sit far enough from existing homes to protect privacy.
Local garden policy
Some councils resist garden development; others support it where character is respected.
Your own property
Selling garden land changes your home, so we plan boundaries and access carefully.
Since 6 August 2026, non-major development on sites of 0.2 hectares or less in England has generally been exempt from mandatory biodiversity net gain, unless priority habitat is affected. That makes many small sites simpler to bring forward.
Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 71 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Subject-to-planning contract
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractWhat happens after you get in touch
Send the basics
A postcode or plan and a few lines about the land are enough to start.
We do the homework
We check planning history, policy, flood maps and access at no cost to you.
We explain the options
You get a written proposal covering price, structure and timing.
Agree and proceed
Once you are happy, solicitors are instructed and the deal moves forward.
Questions owners in St Helens ask
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.
Which planning rules apply to land in St Helens?
As St Helens 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.
Do I need to pay anything to have land in St Helens assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.
