Residential development land wanted in Chelmsford
Development Land Wanted buys residential development land in Chelmsford and right across England and Wales. Owners and agents are both welcome.
Residential development land means a site with a credible route to new homes. Planning permission is not essential: much of the land we want has none yet. What matters is location, access and whether local policy could support housing in the next few years.
- Size
- Any — single plots to 50+ homes
- Planning
- With or without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- All four
The residential development land that interests us around Chelmsford
In and around Chelmsford we are interested in land that sits naturally alongside existing streets, where new homes would read as part of the place. Chelmsford is the county town of Essex. Nearby places we also cover include Billericay, Witham and Maldon.
- Land next to or within an existing town, village or suburb
- Land outside the highest flood risk zones, or where flood risk only affects part of the site
- Sites with or without planning permission, including land promoted in a local plan
- Freehold land where the owner (or all the owners) can sell
The Thames estuary, the Blackwater and the Colne bring flood risk and coastal habitat considerations, and many coastal schemes contribute to recreational disturbance mitigation for protected birds. The A12, A120 and Great Eastern Main Line corridors, and the Dedham Vale and Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscapes in the north, shape where growth goes.
Checks we make on residential development land in Chelmsford
Settlement boundary
Land inside or touching a defined settlement usually has a clearer policy route than isolated land.
Access
A safe vehicle access with adequate visibility is often the single biggest make-or-break item.
Utilities and drainage
Foul and surface water drainage, and power capacity, affect cost and timing more than most owners expect.
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.
Some land in Essex 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 115 miles from Chelmsford, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
Best where planning is already granted or the route to it is clear.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
Common for land without planning: we agree a price now and complete once a suitable permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
Suits larger or longer-term land where planning may take several years.
Option agreementThe next steps
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.
Questions owners in Chelmsford ask
How small a site do you consider?
We look at single building plots as well as larger sites. Small sites can be very worthwhile, particularly infill land within towns and villages.
Can I sell part of my land and keep the rest?
Often, yes. We can look at selling an agreed area, with access and boundaries set out so the land you keep is not left landlocked.
Is Chelmsford too far from our Birmingham base?
No. We are based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 115 miles from Chelmsford, and we look at land right across England and Wales.
How quickly can you look at a site in Chelmsford?
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.