Land and planning glossary
Definitions of 61 terms you're likely to meet when selling land in England or Wales, from adopted roads to wayleaves.
- A
- Adopted road
- A road maintained by the highway authority at public expense. New estate roads are often built to adoptable standards and then adopted.
- Allocation
- A site identified in a local plan or Local Development Plan as suitable for a particular use, such as housing.
- Appeal
- A challenge to a planning refusal, decided in England by the Planning Inspectorate and in Wales by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales.
- B
- Biodiversity net gain (BNG)
- In England, the requirement for most new development to leave biodiversity at least 10% better than before, measured with a statutory metric. Since 6 August 2026, sites of 0.2 hectares or less are exempt unless priority habitat is affected.
- Brownfield land
- Previously developed land that has been occupied by a permanent structure and its surrounding fixed surface infrastructure.
- Brownfield land register
- A list kept by each English council of brownfield sites it considers suitable for housing.
- C
- Candidate site
- In Wales, land put forward by an owner for consideration when a Local Development Plan is prepared or reviewed.
- Capital gains tax (CGT)
- A tax that may be due on the gain when you sell land or property that isn't your main home. Reliefs can apply.
- Class Q
- An English permitted development right allowing some agricultural buildings to become homes through prior approval.
- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
- A charge some councils levy on new floorspace to fund local infrastructure.
- Completion
- The point at which the purchase price is paid and ownership passes to the buyer.
- Conditional contract
- A contract that is exchanged now but only completes when a condition, usually planning permission, is satisfied.
- Conservation area
- An area of special architectural or historic interest where extra planning controls apply.
- Covenant
- A promise in the title deeds that restricts or requires something, such as a ban on building more than one house.
- Current use value
- What land is worth for its existing use, such as farming, ignoring any development potential.
- D
- Deposit
- A part of the price paid on exchange of contracts, with the balance due on completion.
- E
- Easement
- A right over someone else's land, such as a right of way or a right to run drains.
- Exchange of contracts
- The moment a land sale becomes legally binding on both buyer and seller.
- F
- First registration
- Registering land with HM Land Registry for the first time, required when unregistered land is sold.
- Flood zone
- An area mapped by the Environment Agency in England or Natural Resources Wales according to its probability of flooding.
- Full planning permission
- Permission for a development in full detail, including layout, appearance and access.
- G
- Grant of representation
- The legal document (grant of probate or letters of administration) that gives executors or administrators authority to deal with an estate.
- Green belt
- Land around certain towns and cities kept open by planning policy to prevent urban sprawl.
- Green wedge
- In Wales, a local designation that keeps land open between or within settlements.
- Grey belt
- In England, green belt land, including previously developed land, that doesn't strongly contribute to key green belt purposes, where housing may be acceptable if further tests are met.
- Gross development value (GDV)
- The total amount the finished homes or buildings on a site are expected to sell for.
- H
- Heads of terms
- A short, non-binding summary of the main points of a deal, agreed before solicitors draft the contract.
- Hope value
- The amount a buyer will pay above current use value because of the prospect of planning permission.
- I
- Infill
- A small development that fills a gap in an otherwise built-up frontage.
- J
- Joint venture
- An arrangement where a landowner and developer work together and share the proceeds of a development.
- L
- Land Transaction Tax (LTT)
- The tax a buyer pays on land purchases in Wales instead of Stamp Duty Land Tax.
- Landlocked land
- Land with no direct access to a public road.
- Listed building
- A building of special architectural or historic interest, protected by law, needing consent for most alterations.
- Local Development Plan (LDP)
- The development plan prepared by a Welsh council, setting out where development should go.
- Local plan
- The development plan prepared by an English council, setting out policies and allocations for new development.
- Long-stop date
- The latest date by which a condition must be met, after which a conditional contract can be ended.
- M
- Minimum price
- In an option agreement, the lowest price the landowner will receive if the option is exercised.
- N
- National landscape
- The current name for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a protected landscape designation.
- O
- Option agreement
- A contract giving a buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within a set period.
- Option fee
- A payment made to the landowner when an option agreement is signed.
- Outline planning permission
- Permission for the principle of a development, with details reserved for later approval.
- Overage
- A promise to pay the seller more if land gains planning permission or is developed after the sale. Also called clawback.
- P
- Permission in principle
- An English planning route that settles whether a site is suitable for housing before technical details are approved.
- Permitted development
- Building work or changes of use allowed without a full planning application, within set limits.
- Prior approval
- A light-touch consent process for some permitted development, where the council checks specific matters.
- Promotion agreement
- An agreement where a promoter secures planning and sells the land on the open market for a share of the proceeds. We offer options, not promotion agreements.
- R
- Ransom strip
- A piece of land that controls access to a development site, giving its owner leverage over the site's value.
- Reserved matters
- Details left for later approval after outline permission, such as appearance, landscaping, layout and scale.
- Residual land value
- What's left of a development's value after deducting all costs and profit. It is what a buyer can afford to pay for the land.
- Rural exception site
- A small site next to a village where affordable homes may be permitted to meet a local need.
- S
- Section 106 agreement
- A legal agreement attached to a planning permission covering obligations such as affordable housing or contributions.
- Settlement boundary
- A line in a local plan around a town or village, inside which development is generally more acceptable.
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
- The tax a buyer pays on land purchases in England.
- Subject to planning
- Shorthand for a conditional contract that completes only once planning permission is granted.
- T
- Title plan
- The HM Land Registry plan showing the extent of a registered title, usually edged in red.
- Title register
- The HM Land Registry document recording who owns land and the rights, covenants and charges affecting it.
- Tree preservation order (TPO)
- A council order protecting a specific tree or group of trees from being cut down or harmed.
- U
- Unconditional contract
- A contract with no conditions to satisfy, so the sale completes on the agreed date after exchange.
- V
- Vacant possession
- Land handed over at completion free of occupiers, tenants and their belongings.
- Viability assessment
- An analysis showing whether a development can afford its planning obligations and still be built.
- W
- Wayleave
- A permission, often for a payment, allowing a utility company to run cables or pipes across land.
Find out what we'd pay for your land
Send us the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back with a straight answer.