Sell land without planning permission in Downham Market
If you own land around Downham Market 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.
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.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Downham Market
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Land around Downham Market
The land we're most interested in near Downham Market sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards King's Lynn (10 miles) and Wisbech (10 miles).
Mainly arable farmland, with the Broads in the east and the Norfolk Coast National Landscape. Nutrient rules have affected new housing in parts of the county.
| Town | Downham Market |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | PE38 |
| OS grid square | TF60 |
| Nearest towns we cover | King's Lynn (10 mi), Wisbech (10 mi), March (13 mi) |
| Distance from Norwich | About 38 miles west |
| 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 Downham Market
- Fields and paddocks on the edge of settlements
- Former orchards, nurseries and smallholdings
- Land where neighbouring sites have recently gained permission
- 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.
What decides the value of land without planning permission near Downham Market
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.
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.
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.
From first call to completion
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.
You get a written offer
With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
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.
Awkward details we deal with
A neighbour objects to everything
Objections are weighed against planning policy, not counted. We judge the scheme on policy grounds.
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
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Any planning applications or letters
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near Downham Market
What is hope value?
Hope value is the premium a buyer pays above the current use value because there is a realistic prospect of planning permission. It is higher the more likely and closer that permission is.
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.
Will getting permission myself increase the price?
It can, but applications cost money and carry risk. We can talk through whether it makes sense for you to apply or for us to do it under a contract.
Do you buy land in Downham Market?
Yes. We consider land in and around Downham Market and across Norfolk. 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 Downham Market
More land we buy in Downham Market
- 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 Downham Market
- Land without planning permission in Norfolk
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Downham Market
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.