Small sites wanted in Reading
We want to hear from owners of small sites in Reading. There is nothing to pay us, and you are under no obligation.
Small sites are plots for roughly one to nine homes. They are quicker to plan and build than large schemes and national policy encourages councils to bring more of them forward. We buy small sites with or without planning.
- Size
- About 1 to 9 homes
- Planning
- With or without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Outright or conditional
The small sites that interests us around Reading
In Reading, small sites are often the leftover pieces: a side garden, an old garage block or a gap where a building once stood. As the county town of Berkshire, Reading anchors the area we cover here, along with Wokingham, Crowthorne and Yateley.
- Small fields or paddocks next to villages
- Garage blocks and small yards
- Plots with consent for one to nine homes
- Sites where an earlier application can be improved
Berkshire is a string of large towns along the Thames Valley, including Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Wokingham, with Newbury and smaller villages to the west. The east of the county is heavily constrained by the Metropolitan Green Belt, while the west falls partly within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Sites that come forward are often brownfield and town-centre land, edge-of-settlement fields and possible grey belt on the Green Belt fringe.
What decides whether a site in Reading works
Access
Even small sites need a safe access and parking.
Affordable housing thresholds
In England affordable housing is usually only sought on schemes of ten or more homes; in Wales many councils seek contributions from smaller sites, sometimes a single home.
BNG (England)
From 6 August 2026 non-major sites of 0.2 ha or less are generally exempt from mandatory BNG unless priority habitat is affected.
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 Berkshire 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 85 miles from Reading, and we travel to see sites across England and Wales.
Four ways to sell to us
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
Popular for small plots: you only sell once permission is granted.
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 agreementJoint venture
You contribute the land, we fund and manage planning and delivery, and the proceeds are shared as agreed.
Joint ventureWhat happens after you get in touch
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 Berkshire
Do small sites need affordable housing?
In England, affordable housing is generally sought on major development of ten or more homes, though some rural areas set lower thresholds. In Wales, many Local Development Plans seek contributions from smaller sites, sometimes from a single home.
Can you buy a single building plot?
Yes. Single plots, with or without consent, are part of what we buy.
How quickly can you look at a site in Reading?
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 Reading?
As Reading 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.