Land without planning permission wanted in Herefordshire
We want to hear from owners of land without planning permission in Herefordshire. There is nothing to pay us, and you are under no obligation.
Having no planning permission does not rule land out. Many good development sites start as fields or yards with no consent. We look at local policy, access and constraints, then explain the options, including deals where we take on the planning 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 Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a rural county with the city of Hereford, the market towns of Leominster, Ross-on-Wye and Ledbury, and many small villages and hamlets. There is no Green Belt, but the Wye Valley and Malvern Hills National Landscapes cover parts of the county. Phosphate pollution in the River Wye and its tributary the Lugg has been a major barrier to new housing, so drainage and nutrient mitigation are often central to whether a site can proceed.
- 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
Most new homes are planned around Hereford and the market towns, with smaller numbers in villages through neighbourhood plans. Typical opportunities include edge-of-village paddocks, redundant farm buildings, infill plots and former commercial land, with flood risk along the Wye and Lugg valleys a frequent consideration.
Checks we make on land without planning permission in Herefordshire
Policy direction
National and local policy decides how a fresh application would be judged, so we read both before advising.
Timescale
Getting permission can take months or years; we are honest about that from the start.
Access and highways
Without a safe access, even well-located land is unlikely to get consent.
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.
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.
Herefordshire has no designated Green Belt, so the main policy questions near Herefordshire are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.
Parts of Herefordshire fall within Wye Valley National Landscape and Malvern Hills National Landscape. Protected landscapes carry strong policy protection, so land in or next to them needs particularly careful assessment.
Land without planning permission wanted in towns across Herefordshire
Choosing how to sell
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
For owners who want a bigger share of the upside in return for more risk.
Joint ventureFrom first call to completion
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.
Your questions answered
What if planning is refused?
That depends on the deal. Under a conditional contract we can usually decide whether to appeal, re-apply or walk away; if we walk away you keep your land.
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.
Which planning rules apply to land in Herefordshire?
As Herefordshire 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 Herefordshire assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.