Land without planning permission wanted in Prestwich
Development Land Wanted buys land without planning permission in Prestwich and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
Land without planning permission is land that has no current consent for development but may be able to get one. Most of the land we are offered falls into this group, and we assess whether a planning route is realistic before suggesting how a sale could work.

- Size
- Any
- Planning
- None yet
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional, option or JV
The land without planning permission that interests us around Prestwich
Near Prestwich, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan. Sitting about 4 miles north-west of Manchester, Prestwich is within Greater Manchester, with Whitefield and Radcliffe close by.
- Fields and paddocks next to existing settlements
- Plots within towns and villages that have never been built on
- Land where a previous application was refused for reasons that could be overcome
- Land of any size, including single plots
Greater Manchester is a dense conurbation centred on Manchester and Salford, ringed by towns such as Bolton, Wigan, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Stockport and Altrincham. Green Belt separates many of these towns and covers the moorland fringe, so most housing land is previously developed: former mills, industrial estates, yards and town-centre sites. Grey belt and small edge-of-settlement fields can also come forward on the urban fringe.
What decides whether a site in Prestwich works
Policy direction
National and local policy decides how a fresh application would be judged, so we read both before advising.
Who pays for planning
Applications, surveys and reports cost money; on conditional and option deals we normally pay for them up front, and any costs deducted from the price are agreed and capped.
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 Greater Manchester 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.
We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 70 miles from Prestwich, and we travel to see sites 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
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning 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
You contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed.
Joint ventureFrom first call to completion
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 Greater Manchester
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.
Do you buy land with no planning outright?
Sometimes. If we are confident about the planning route we can buy outright, which gives you certainty sooner but reflects the risk we take on.
How quickly can you look at a site in Prestwich?
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.
Which planning rules apply to land in Prestwich?
As Prestwich 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.
