Sites with lapsed or refused planning wanted in Romford
If you own sites with lapsed or refused planning in or around Romford, we would like to hear about it. We buy directly and give a free, no-obligation appraisal.
If your permission expired or an application was refused, the land may still be developable. A refusal often comes down to design, access or a specific technical issue that can be addressed in a new application.
- Size
- Any
- Planning
- Lapsed, refused or withdrawn
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional or outright
The sites with lapsed or refused planning that interests us around Romford
We read the planning history of sites across Romford closely; a past refusal often points straight to the fix. Sitting about 14 miles east of central London, Romford is within Greater London, with Hornchurch and Dagenham close by.
- Sites where planning permission has expired
- Land refused for design, access or technical reasons
- Withdrawn applications
- Land with an old permission that was never started
Outer London, from Romford and Bexley to Uxbridge, Barnet, Croydon and Sutton, contains most of the capital's remaining land opportunities. Around the edge, the Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land protect open space, and a small part of the Kent Downs National Landscape lies in the south-east. Sites usually come forward as small infill plots, garage courts, backland, former commercial buildings and occasional grey belt land on the urban fringe.
What usually makes or breaks it
Appeal history
An inspector's decision carries weight in future applications.
Technical work
Some refusals turn on drainage, highways or ecology evidence that can be improved.
Time since decision
The longer ago the decision, the more the context may have changed.
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.
Some land in Greater London 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 111 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Subject-to-planning contract
The usual route: we make the revised application and complete on success.
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 agreementThe 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.
Frequently asked in Greater London
My application was refused. Should I appeal or re-apply?
It depends on the reasons and time limits. Sometimes a revised application is better than an appeal. We look at the decision and say what we would do.
Does a refusal make the land worth less?
It can affect value, but often the reasons can be addressed. Policy may also have changed since the decision.
Is Romford too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 111 miles from Romford, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
Do I need to pay anything to have land in Romford assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.