Sell land without planning permission in Exmouth
If you want to sell land without planning permission in Exmouth, you can deal with the buyer directly. We look at the land, explain what it's worth and why, and leave the decision with you.
Without consent, land is valued on its current use plus whatever hope value its location supports. We will explain how much of our offer is each, so you can see what you are being paid for.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Exmouth
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Where Exmouth sits
From Exmouth, it's 8 miles to Heavitree and 9 miles to Exeter. We buy land across that whole stretch of Devon, not only within the town.
| Town | Exmouth |
|---|---|
| County | Devon |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | EX8 |
| OS grid square | SY08 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Heavitree (8 mi), Exeter (9 mi), Newton Abbot (11 mi) |
| Distance from Plymouth | About 37 miles north-east |
| 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 Exmouth
- Land inside or touching a settlement boundary in the local plan
- Land with a road frontage or a clear way to create access
- Former orchards, nurseries and smallholdings
- Grazing land with no tenancy or with a tenancy that can be ended
If you'd rather not wait for planning, an outright sale gives certainty now. If you can wait, a subject-to-planning or option deal usually pays more in the end.
What decides the value of land without planning permission near Exmouth
Current use value
Agricultural or amenity value is the floor under any offer.
Hope value
The extra a buyer will pay for the chance of permission, which rises the closer the land is to existing homes.
Local plan position
Land allocated, or close to being allocated, for housing carries far more hope value.
Planning history
Past refusals and appeal decisions on the site and its neighbours shape the odds.
Four routes to a sale
Outright purchase
Certainty now, at a price that reflects the planning risk we take on.
Subject-to-planning sale
We exchange contracts now and complete once permission is granted.
Option agreements
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Joint ventures
You keep a stake and share in the value planning creates.
What happens next
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
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.
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.
Green belt and grey belt
Green belt land is protected from inappropriate development. National policy in England also recognises 'grey belt': green belt land that doesn't strongly contribute to key green belt purposes, where housing can be acceptable if further tests are met.
Farm tenancies
Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies and farm business tenancies have their own notice and compensation rules, which affect when land can be developed.
Common problems, and how we handle them
The council says the land is outside the settlement
Settlement boundaries change when plans are reviewed. We look at the plan timetable and whether the site could be promoted at the next review.
A neighbour objects to everything
Objections are weighed against planning policy, not counted. We judge the scheme on policy grounds.
Useful to send us
- Any planning applications or letters
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
What people ask us about land without planning permission
Can I sell land without planning permission?
Yes. Land without consent is bought and sold every day. The question is whether you want a lower price now or a higher price later that depends on permission being granted.
Who pays for the planning application?
On subject-to-planning and option deals we normally fund the planning work. On an outright purchase it is our risk and our cost after completion.
Do you buy land in the green belt?
Sometimes. Green belt land is hard to develop, though England's planning policy now recognises 'grey belt' land. We will tell you frankly whether your site has a realistic prospect.
Do you cover the villages around Exmouth?
Yes. Villages between Exmouth, Heavitree and Exeter often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
More land we buy in Exmouth
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- 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
- Redundant commercial and industrial land
- Inherited and probate land
- Landlocked land and access problems
- Outright purchase
- Subject-to-planning sale
- Option agreements
- Joint ventures
- All land in Exmouth
- Land without planning permission in Devon
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Exmouth
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.