Land without planning permission wanted in Dorchester
Development Land Wanted buys land without planning permission in Dorchester and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
If your land has never had planning permission, it can still be development land. We check whether housing is credible under current policy and, where it is, propose a deal that shares out the planning risk fairly.
- Size
- Any
- Planning
- None yet
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional, option or JV
The land without planning permission that interests us around Dorchester
For land on the edges of Dorchester with no consent yet, the first questions are access, flood risk and how the council's current plan treats the area. Dorchester is the county town of Dorset. Nearby places we also cover include Weymouth, Yeovil and Poole.
- Fields and paddocks next to existing settlements
- Land the owner has put forward to a local plan or call for sites
- Sites with a road frontage or a realistic access
- Land of any size, including single plots
Dorset combines the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation with market towns such as Dorchester, Wimborne Minster and Ferndown and a large rural area. Green Belt surrounds the conurbation and extends inland, and the Dorset and Cranborne Chase National Landscapes cover much of the countryside. Typical sites include urban brownfield land, edge-of-town fields, farm buildings and infill plots in villages.
What decides whether a site in Dorchester works
Policy direction
National and local policy decides how a fresh application would be judged, so we read both before advising.
Access and highways
Without a safe access, even well-located land is unlikely to get consent.
Your involvement
You can sell now, sell subject to planning, or grant an option; each asks a different amount of you.
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.
Some land in Dorset 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.
Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 129 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
Four ways to sell to us
Outright purchase
Possible where we are comfortable taking the planning risk ourselves.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
The most common route: we fund the application and complete once permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
Suits bigger sites or longer timescales; you are paid a premium and keep the land meanwhile.
Option agreementJoint venture
For owners who want a bigger share of the upside in return for more risk.
Joint ventureThe 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.
Land without planning permission in Dorchester: common questions
Who pays for the planning application?
On a subject-to-planning contract or an option agreement, we normally pay for the application and the reports that go with it. Under an option, agreed costs may later be deducted from the price; any deduction is capped and set out in the heads of terms.
Can I keep using the land while planning is sought?
Usually, yes. Farming, grazing or other current uses can generally continue until completion, subject to what we agree.
Do you buy land without planning permission in Dorchester?
Yes. We buy land without planning permission in Dorchester and throughout Dorset, as well as elsewhere in England and Wales. Tell us where the land is and we will give you a free appraisal.
How quickly can you look at a site in Dorchester?
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.