Land with planning permission wanted in Merseyside
Development Land Wanted buys land with planning permission in Merseyside and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
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
Is your land in Merseyside the kind we want?
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.
- Outline permissions, full permissions and approved reserved matters
- Consents with a Section 106 agreement or Community Infrastructure Levy liability
- Sites where some pre-commencement conditions are still to be discharged
- Single plots with consent for one or two homes
Regeneration areas along the Liverpool and Birkenhead waterfronts, and around Merseyrail stations, are a focus for higher-density homes. The coast from Southport to the Wirral includes internationally protected dunes and estuary habitats, so coastal schemes often need habitats assessment and recreation mitigation.
Checks we make on land with planning permission in Merseyside
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.
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.
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.
Ways to sell land with planning permission in Merseyside
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 agreementFrom first call to completion
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 Merseyside: common questions
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.
Can an agent introduce land in Merseyside 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.
Which planning rules apply to land in Merseyside?
As Merseyside 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.