Sell land without planning permission in Desborough
For owners of land without planning permission in and around Desborough, we offer four ways to sell, from a clean outright purchase to deals that pay more once planning is granted.
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
Get an offer for land in Desborough
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Desborough at a glance
Our appraisals for Desborough start with the NN14 postcode district and the OS grid square SP88, then widen out to Market Harborough, Kettering and Corby, all within about 7 miles.
| Town | Desborough |
|---|---|
| County | Northamptonshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | NN14 |
| OS grid square | SP88 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Market Harborough (5 mi), Kettering (5 mi), Corby (7 mi) |
| Distance from Northampton | About 14 miles north |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| Ways to sell | Outright, subject to planning, option or joint venture |
What makes land without planning permission near Desborough worth an offer
- Land inside or touching a settlement boundary in the local plan
- 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
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 affects the price
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.
Constraints
Green belt, flood zones, heritage and landscape designations reduce the chance of consent.
Deal structure
Conditional and option deals can pay more because the price is fixed against value with permission.
Ways to sell this land
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.
How a sale works
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.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in Northamptonshire
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.
A neighbour objects to everything
Objections are weighed against planning policy, not counted. We judge the scheme on policy grounds.
Useful to send us
- The address or postcode
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- 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.
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.
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.
How do I get an offer for land in Desborough?
Use the form on this page or call 0800 088 6248. Tell us the postcode, the rough size and anything you know about planning, and we'll come back to you.
More land we buy in Desborough
- 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 Desborough
- Land without planning permission in Northamptonshire
Ready to talk about your land in Desborough?
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.