Land with planning permission wanted in Reading
We are actively looking for land with planning permission in Reading and the surrounding area, with or without planning permission.
A site with planning permission already has the council's approval for development, so much of the planning risk has gone. If you have consent but no plans to build, or the permission is approaching its time limit, we would like to hear from you.
- Size
- Any number of homes
- Planning
- Outline, full or reserved matters
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
Land with planning permission we are looking for in Reading
We are interested in sites with planning across the Reading area, including smaller consents that larger housebuilders may pass over. As the county town of Berkshire, Reading anchors the area we cover here, along with Wokingham, Crowthorne and Yateley.
- Outline permissions, full permissions and approved reserved matters
- Consents with a Section 106 agreement or Community Infrastructure Levy liability
- Single plots with consent for one or two homes
- Larger consented schemes where the owner does not want to build
The Elizabeth line, the Great Western Main Line and the M4 make many Berkshire settlements well connected, which matters under England's revised planning policy on locations near stations. Older office and commercial buildings in the larger towns, and paddocks and smallholdings on village edges, are common sources of smaller residential sites.
What decides whether a site in Reading works
Conditions
Pre-commencement conditions, such as drainage or ecology details, must be dealt with before work can lawfully start.
Planning obligations
Section 106 contributions, affordable housing and any Community Infrastructure Levy all affect what the land is worth to a builder.
Title and access
Consent does not cure title problems, so rights of access and covenants still need checking.
In England, the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August 2026 replaced the old "tilted balance" with new settlement policies: development within a settlement should normally be approved unless the harm substantially outweighs the benefits, while land outside a settlement can gain support in defined circumstances.
We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 85 miles from Reading, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
Four ways to sell to us
Outright purchase
The usual route for consented land: an agreed price and a straightforward sale.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
Used where a fresh or amended application would improve the scheme.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
Rarely needed once permission exists, but possible for phased sites.
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 Berkshire
My permission expires soon. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. Depending on the time left and the conditions, it may be possible to make a lawful start, apply again or vary the scheme. Tell us the expiry date as soon as you can.
Can you buy if the approved scheme is not one you would build?
Yes. Sometimes we buy on the basis of the existing permission and then seek changes through a new or amended application.
Is Reading too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 85 miles from Reading, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
How quickly can you look at a site in Reading?
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.