Sell redundant commercial or industrial land in Harpenden
If you own land around Harpenden and want a straight answer about it, we'll tell you whether we can buy it, on what terms, and what the offer is based on.
Redundant commercial and industrial land is a business site no longer needed for its original use, such as a small industrial unit, haulage yard or showroom. Where the site sits among homes, redevelopment for housing is often the best long-term use, subject to planning policy on employment land.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Tell us about your land
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Land around Harpenden
From Harpenden, it's 5 miles to St Albans and 5 miles to Luton. We buy land across that whole stretch of Hertfordshire, not only within the town.
Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, which makes land with genuine development prospects scarce and keenly contested.
| Town | Harpenden |
|---|---|
| County | Hertfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | AL5 |
| OS grid square | TL11 |
| Nearest towns we cover | St Albans (5 mi), Luton (5 mi), Hemel Hempstead (6 mi) |
| Distance from Watford | About 11 miles north |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| Ways to sell | Outright, subject to planning, option or joint venture |
What we look for around Harpenden
- Haulage yards, builders' yards and depots
- Sites a business is relocating from
- Commercial buildings with permitted development potential
- Sites with a mix of buildings and open storage
We buy small commercial and industrial sites, including those still occupied, and plan a route to vacant possession that fits your timetable.
What decides the value of redundant commercial land near Harpenden
Existing use value
A let or lettable commercial site has a value that a housing offer must exceed.
Permitted development
Some commercial buildings can change to homes through prior approval, within limits.
Leases
Occupational leases and security of tenure affect timing.
Access
Commercial access often works well for housing, which helps value.
Choosing how to sell
From first call to completion
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
You get a written offer
With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in Hertfordshire
Planning framework
Planning decisions in England follow the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026, and the local plan, prepared by the council or, in a national park, the park authority. Plans are reviewed periodically, which is when new housing sites are usually allocated.
Brownfield first
National policy gives substantial weight to reusing suitable brownfield land for homes. Councils keep brownfield land registers, and some sites can gain permission in principle.
Tax on the sale
The buyer pays Stamp Duty Land Tax. As the seller you may owe capital gains tax, and some commercial land carries VAT. Take advice from an accountant.
When the land isn't straightforward
The council protects employment land
We look at marketing evidence and viability. Some sites won't qualify, and we'll say so.
There are underground tanks
Fuel tanks are common on old garage and depot sites. We arrange removal as part of the works.
Useful to send us
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
- Photos of the land and its access
Questions from landowners near Harpenden
Can I keep running my business after selling?
Yes, through a conditional contract or a short leaseback agreed as part of the deal.
What is prior approval for commercial to residential?
In England, permitted development rights allow some commercial buildings to change to homes through a prior approval process, within set limits.
Will contamination stop a sale?
Rarely. It usually affects the price and the timetable rather than whether we buy.
Can you visit land near Harpenden?
Yes. Once we've looked at the title and planning position, we arrange a site visit if the land looks suitable. Send the address or postcode to start.
Also near Harpenden
Other land types and routes
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- Green belt and grey belt land
- Land for affordable homes
- Farmland and agricultural land
- Paddocks and equestrian land
- Barns and rural buildings
- Building plots
- Garden land and backland
- Infill plots and gap sites
- Small sites
- Garage sites
- Brownfield land
- Inherited and probate land
- Landlocked land and access problems
- Outright purchase
- Subject-to-planning sale
- Option agreements
- Joint ventures
- All land in Harpenden
- Redundant commercial and industrial land in Hertfordshire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Harpenden
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.