Land with planning permission wanted in Cumbria
Development Land Wanted buys land with planning permission in Cumbria and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
Land with planning permission is a site where the council has already granted consent for new homes, either in outline or in full. We buy consented sites across England and Wales, including those where the owner does not want to build out the scheme.
- Size
- Any number of homes
- Planning
- Outline, full or reserved matters
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
Is your land in Cumbria the kind we want?
Cumbria has no Green Belt, but the Lake District National Park, part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines, Arnside and Silverdale and Solway Coast National Landscapes cover much of the county. Housing land therefore concentrates around Carlisle, Kendal, Penrith and the west coast towns of Whitehaven, Workington and Barrow-in-Furness. Typical sites include edge-of-town fields, former industrial land on the coast and conversions of farm buildings.
- Outline permissions, full permissions and approved reserved matters
- Sites where some pre-commencement conditions are still to be discharged
- Single plots with consent for one or two homes
- Larger consented schemes where the owner does not want to build
Nutrient neutrality advice has affected several Cumbrian catchments, including the Eden, the Derwent and Bassenthwaite Lake and the River Kent, so drainage solutions matter. The west coast's energy and port economy and the M6 and West Coast Main Line corridor through Penrith and Carlisle shape where most new homes are planned.
What decides whether a site in Cumbria works
Time limit
Permissions normally have to be started within a set period, so the date the consent expires matters a great deal.
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.
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.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduced Environmental Delivery Plans and a Nature Restoration Levy in England, which over time may offer an alternative to site-by-site mitigation for some environmental issues.
Land with planning permission wanted in towns across Cumbria
Ways to sell land with planning permission in Cumbria
Outright purchase
The usual route for consented land: an agreed price and a straightforward sale.
Outright purchaseSubject-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 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
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.
Land with planning permission in Cumbria: common questions
Do I need to discharge the conditions before selling?
No. Many sites are sold with conditions still outstanding. We look at what is left to do and allow for it.
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.
Do you buy land with planning permission in Cumbria?
Yes. We buy land with planning permission in Cumbria and throughout Cumbria, as well as elsewhere in England and Wales. Tell us where the land is and we will give you a free appraisal.
Which planning rules apply to land in Cumbria?
As Cumbria 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.