0800 088 6248 Get an offer
Land we buyWays to sellAreasGuidesAbout Contact Get an offer

Sell land with planning permission in Bishops Stortford

Our interest in land with planning permission around Bishops Stortford is simple: we're buying land to build homes on, so we look for sites where homes are realistic and price them on that basis.

Land with planning permission has consent from the local planning authority to build a specific development, either in outline (the principle) or in full (the detailed design). We buy consented sites directly, check the permission and its conditions, and make an offer you can accept without marketing the land.

  • Free appraisal and written offer
  • Figures explained, so you can check them
  • No pressure to decide

Tell us about your land

Send the postcode and a rough size.

Please enter your name.
Please enter a UK phone number.
Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a postcode, or at least the first half.
Please tick the box so we can contact you.

Free and no obligation. We're the buyer, so there's no commission.

Bishops Stortford at a glance

The land we're most interested in near Bishops Stortford sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards Harlow (7 miles) and Hoddesdon (10 miles).

Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, which makes land with genuine development prospects scarce and keenly contested.

TownBishops Stortford
CountyHertfordshire
CountryEngland
Postcode districtCM23
OS grid squareTL42
Nearest towns we coverHarlow (7 mi), Hoddesdon (10 mi), Hertford (11 mi)
Distance from WatfordAbout 28 miles north-east
Planning systemNational Planning Policy Framework and local plan
Ways to sellOutright, subject to planning, option or joint venture
Greenfield site with timber setting-out pegs and orange tape beside a temporary mesh fence

What we look for around Bishops Stortford

  • Full or outline permission for one home or more
  • Permissions that are still within their time limit, or have been lawfully started
  • Lapsed or lapsing permissions, which we can look at renewing
  • Plots with permission in principle

If you already hold consent, you have done the hard part. We review the decision notice, conditions and any legal agreement, then make an offer that reflects what it will really cost to build.

The things that move our offer

Time left on the permission

A permission close to expiry may need a quick start or a fresh application, and that affects price.

Pre-commencement conditions

Conditions that must be discharged before building starts can add surveys, cost and delay.

Section 106 and CIL

Affordable housing and financial contributions come straight off what a buyer can pay.

Abnormal costs

Retaining walls, drainage works or contamination add cost beyond a normal build.

Choosing how to sell

Outright purchase

The usual route for consented land: agree a price, then exchange and complete.

Subject-to-planning sale

Useful if you want us to improve or renew the permission before completion.

Option agreements

Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.

Joint ventures

An option if you would like a share of the profit from building the homes.

What happens next

  1. Send us the address

    A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.

  2. We do the homework

    We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.

  3. We put an offer in writing

    It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.

  4. Solicitors complete the sale

    Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.

Rules that apply in England

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.

Agricultural buildings (Class Q)

In England, Class Q permitted development can allow some agricultural buildings to become homes through prior approval, within limits on size and number of homes.

Section 106 and CIL

Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.

When the land isn't straightforward

The permission is about to expire

In England a full permission normally lasts three years and in Wales five. We check whether a lawful start has been made or whether a new application is the better route.

The Section 106 makes the scheme unviable

If costs have moved since consent, a viability review or a variation may be possible. We will tell you if we think that is realistic.

Useful to send us

  • The address or postcode
  • Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
  • Photos of the land and its access
  • How soon you'd ideally like to sell

Your questions answered

How long does planning permission last?

In England, full planning permission usually requires work to start within three years, and in Wales within five, unless the decision notice says otherwise. Outline permissions have separate time limits for reserved matters. The decision notice sets out the exact dates.

Does a permission go with the land when I sell?

Yes. Planning permission attaches to the land, not to the owner, so it passes to the buyer automatically.

Can I sell a plot with prior approval for a barn conversion?

Yes. Prior approvals are time limited and have their own rules, so we check the approval and the building before making an offer.

Do you buy land in Bishops Stortford?

Yes. We consider land in and around Bishops Stortford and across Hertfordshire. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.

Also near Bishops Stortford

More land we buy in Bishops Stortford

Find out what we'd pay for your land near Bishops Stortford

Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.

Get an offerCall 0800 088 6248