Land without planning permission wanted in Rochester
Development Land Wanted buys land without planning permission in Rochester and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
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
What land without planning permission we want near Rochester
For land on the edges of Rochester with no consent yet, the first questions are access, flood risk and how the council's current plan treats the area. Rochester is in Kent, about 8 miles north of Maidstone. Nearby places include Chatham, Strood and Gillingham.
- 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
Nutrient neutrality advice has affected the Stour catchment around Canterbury and Ashford because of the protected Stodmarsh wetlands. High Speed 1 stations and the M2, M20 and A2 corridors are a focus for growth, while coastal flood risk matters on the Thames and Swale estuaries and Romney Marsh.
Checks we make on land without planning permission in Rochester
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.
Timescale
Getting permission can take months or years; we are honest about that from the start.
Your involvement
You can sell now, sell subject to planning, or grant an option; each asks a different amount of you.
In England, a planning permission normally has to be implemented within three years unless the council sets a different period, and councils aim to decide minor applications within eight weeks and major ones within thirteen.
Parts of Kent are Green Belt, though not every town has any nearby. We check early whether a site is inside it and, if so, whether a grey belt or previously developed land case could apply.
We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, around 130 miles from Rochester, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
Ways to sell land without planning permission in Rochester
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
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.
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.
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.
Is Rochester too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 130 miles from Rochester, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
Which planning rules apply to land in Rochester?
As Rochester 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.
