Sell land without planning permission in Canterbury
For owners of land without planning permission in and around Canterbury, we offer four ways to sell, from a clean outright purchase to deals that pay more once planning is granted.
Most land for sale has no planning permission. That does not stop a sale; it changes how the deal should be structured so the planning risk is shared sensibly.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
Selling land near Canterbury?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where Canterbury sits
Our appraisals for Canterbury start with the CT1 postcode district and the OS grid square TR15, then widen out to Whitstable, Herne Bay and Faversham, all within about 9 miles.
Metropolitan Green Belt in the west, the Kent Downs and High Weald National Landscapes, and growth around Ashford, Maidstone and the Medway towns.
| Town | Canterbury |
|---|---|
| County | Kent |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CT1 |
| OS grid square | TR15 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Whitstable (6 mi), Herne Bay (7 mi), Faversham (9 mi) |
| Distance from Maidstone | About 24 miles east |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| Ways to sell | Outright, subject to planning, option or joint venture |
Is your land near Canterbury a good fit?
- Sites the council has assessed in its land availability study
- 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
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.
The things that move our 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.
Access and services
Land that is easy to reach and connect is cheaper to promote and build on.
Deal structure
Conditional and option deals can pay more because the price is fixed against value with permission.
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.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
What England's rules mean for your land
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
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Common questions
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.
What happens if planning is refused?
On a conditional contract or option, if permission is not granted within the agreed period the deal ends and you keep the land. Any option fee paid is usually yours to keep.
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 buy land in Canterbury?
Yes. We consider land in and around Canterbury and across Kent. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
More land we buy in Canterbury
- Development land
- Land with 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
- 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 Canterbury
- Land without planning permission in Kent
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Canterbury
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.