Land with planning permission wanted in St Helens
We are actively looking for land with planning permission in St Helens 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
What land with planning permission we want near St Helens
For consented land around St Helens, the first things we read are the decision notice, the conditions and any legal agreement attached to the permission. In Merseyside, St Helens sits about 10 miles east of Liverpool; Haydock and Prescot are its nearest neighbours on our list.
- Outline permissions, full permissions and approved reserved matters
- Permissions that are close to their time limit to start work
- Consents with a Section 106 agreement or Community Infrastructure Levy liability
- Larger consented schemes where the owner does not want to build
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.
Before we make an offer in St Helens
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.
Where an English council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land, or its Housing Delivery Test result falls below 75%, the August 2026 NPPF can give policy support to suitable housing outside settlement boundaries.
We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 71 miles from St Helens, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
How we could buy your land in St Helens
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
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 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
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.
Land with planning permission in St Helens: 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.
Which planning rules apply to land in St Helens?
As St Helens 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.
Do I need to pay anything to have land in St Helens assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.