Strategic land wanted in Cambridge
We want to hear from owners of strategic land in Cambridge. There is nothing to pay us, and you are under no obligation.
Strategic land means sites big enough to need long-term promotion, infrastructure and often a local plan allocation. Owners typically keep the land while it is promoted and are paid when planning is secured and the land is sold.
- Size
- 50+ homes
- Planning
- Usually without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Option or JV
The strategic land that interests us around Cambridge
Larger landholdings on the approaches to Cambridge are where strategic land usually comes from, particularly near transport links. Cambridge is the county town of Cambridgeshire. Nearby places we also cover include Royston, St Ives and Newmarket.
- Land for 50 or more homes next to a town or larger village
- Land near railway stations or good bus routes
- Land with more than one possible access point
- Sites already being considered by the council
Water supply and wastewater capacity have been recurring issues for growth around Cambridge, and Fenland sites usually need careful flood risk evidence. Away from the city, small sites on the edges of villages and market towns along the A14, A10 and A1 corridors are a common source of new housing land.
Checks we make on strategic land in Cambridge
Local plan timing
Strategic sites usually move with the plan cycle, so we look at where the council is in its review.
Land assembly
Larger schemes often need several owners to agree a fair way to share value.
Promotion costs
Technical studies and plan representations cost money; under an option we pay them up front, and any recovery from the price is capped in the heads of terms.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduced Environmental Delivery Plans and a Nature Restoration Levy in England, which over time may offer an alternative to site-by-site mitigation for some environmental issues.
Parts of Cambridgeshire 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.
Our base is in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 89 miles away, and we buy land throughout England and Wales.
Ways to sell strategic land in Cambridge
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
We agree a price now and complete once a satisfactory planning 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 agreementWhat happens after you get in touch
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.
Strategic land in Cambridge: common questions
What if my neighbours own part of the best site?
We can help bring owners together under an equalisation arrangement so value is shared fairly, whoever ends up with the roads or open space.
Will I be paid anything before planning?
Under an option, owners are usually paid a premium on signing, with the main payment when the land is sold after planning.
Do you buy strategic land in Cambridge?
Yes. We buy strategic land in Cambridge and throughout Cambridgeshire, as well as elsewhere in England and Wales. Tell us where the land is and we will give you a free appraisal.
Can an agent introduce land in Cambridge to you?
Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.