Sell land without planning permission in Formby
If you own land without planning permission near Formby, we can usually tell you quite quickly whether it suits us, and if it doesn't, we'll say why.
Land without planning permission is any land that has no current consent for building. You can still sell it: either outright at a price that reflects its present use and the chance of permission (hope value), or on a conditional or option basis that pays more if permission is granted.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Formby?
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Where Formby sits
Land around Formby falls under England's planning system. The closest towns we also cover are Maghull, 6 miles away, and Southport, 7 miles away, and Liverpool is 11 miles away.
Largely urban, with substantial brownfield land in Liverpool and the surrounding boroughs and green belt around the edges.
| Town | Formby |
|---|---|
| County | Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | L37 |
| OS grid square | SD20 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Maghull (6 mi), Southport (7 mi), Bootle (7 mi) |
| Distance from Liverpool | About 11 miles north |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| Ways to sell | Outright, subject to planning, option or joint venture |
Land we're keen to see around Formby
- Land inside or touching a settlement boundary in the local plan
- Sites the council has assessed in its land availability study
- Former orchards, nurseries and smallholdings
- Grazing land with no tenancy or with a tenancy that can be ended
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.
The things that move our offer
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.
Planning history
Past refusals and appeal decisions on the site and its neighbours shape the odds.
Access and services
Land that is easy to reach and connect is cheaper to promote and build on.
Choosing how to sell
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
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
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.
Planning and legal points for land in Merseyside
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.
When the land isn't straightforward
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.
You don't want to wait years
Then an outright sale at a lower, risk-adjusted price may suit you better, and we will say so.
Useful to send us
- The address or postcode
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near Formby
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.
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 Formby?
Yes. We consider land in and around Formby and across Merseyside. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
Other land types and routes
- 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 Formby
- Land without planning permission in Merseyside
Ready to talk about your land in Formby?
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.