Land with planning permission wanted in St Albans
If you own land with planning permission in or around St Albans, we would like to hear about it. We buy directly and give a free, no-obligation appraisal.
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
The land with planning permission that interests us around St Albans
For consented land around St Albans, the first things we read are the decision notice, the conditions and any legal agreement attached to the permission. Sitting about 11 miles west of Hertford, St Albans is within Hertfordshire, with Harpenden and Hatfield close by.
- 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
The M1, A1(M), M25 and several commuter rail lines into London make many Hertfordshire villages well connected to stations, which revised English planning policy treats as a factor in favour of development. Former employment sites, garages, yards and paddocks on town edges are common sources of smaller housing land.
Before we make an offer in St Albans
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.
Scheme design
Some approved layouts are hard to build or sell; others can be improved with a fresh application.
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.
Some land in Hertfordshire is designated Green Belt. If your land is within it, it may still qualify as grey belt or previously developed land under national policy, subject to the Golden Rules.
Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 87 miles away, and we buy land throughout 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
You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.
Option agreementWhat 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.
Frequently asked in Hertfordshire
Will the Section 106 obligations transfer to the buyer?
Planning obligations usually run with the land, so they bind whoever owns it. We review them as part of our due diligence.
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.
Can an agent introduce land in St Albans to you?
Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.
How quickly can you look at a site in St Albans?
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.