Land with planning permission wanted in Dorchester
Development Land Wanted buys land with planning permission in Dorchester 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
What land with planning permission we want near Dorchester
We are interested in sites with planning across the Dorchester area, including smaller consents that larger housebuilders may pass over. As the county town of Dorset, Dorchester anchors the area we cover here, along with Weymouth, Yeovil and Poole.
- Outline permissions, full permissions and approved reserved matters
- Permissions that are close to their time limit to start work
- Single plots with consent for one or two homes
- Larger consented schemes where the owner does not want to build
Heathland protection around the conurbation means many schemes contribute to mitigation for protected heaths, and Poole Harbour has been subject to nutrient neutrality advice. Weymouth, the wider coast and the river valleys add flood and coastal-change checks, while the A31 and A35 corridors link the main towns.
Before we make an offer in Dorchester
Time limit
Permissions normally have to be started within a set period, so the date the consent expires matters a great deal.
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.
The August 2026 NPPF supports homes within reasonable walking distance (around 800 metres) of well-connected railway stations, with minimum densities of 35 homes per hectare, or 45 near higher-frequency stations.
Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 129 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
Rarely needed once permission exists, but possible for phased sites.
Option agreementThe next steps
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.
Frequently asked in Dorset
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.
Is Dorchester too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 129 miles from Dorchester, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
Which planning rules apply to land in Dorchester?
As Dorchester 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.