Sell land for affordable homes in Chester
If you own land around Chester 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.
Affordable and social housing is part of the land-to-homes work we're setting out to do. If you own land on the edge of a village and want it to house local people, a rural exception scheme may be the right route.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
Tell us about your land
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Chester at a glance
Chester lies in Cheshire, about 19 miles south-west of Warrington. Nearby, we also look at land around Hawarden (6 miles), Deeside (6 miles) and Ellesmere Port (6 miles).
Dairy farmland and market towns, with green belt separating Cheshire's towns from the Merseyside and Manchester conurbations.
| Town | Chester |
|---|---|
| County | Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CH1 |
| OS grid square | SJ46 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Hawarden (6 mi), Deeside (6 mi), Ellesmere Port (6 mi) |
| Distance from Warrington | About 19 miles south-west |
| 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 Chester
- Sites with safe access and walking routes to village facilities
- Parish councils open to a community-led scheme
- Land owned by families, estates, churches or charities
- Sites where a small share of market homes could help viability, where policy allows it
Exception sites work differently from normal housing land. The price is lower than open-market development land but well above agricultural value, and the homes stay affordable for the community.
The things that move our offer
Local policy
Each council sets its own rules for exception sites, including whether any market homes are allowed.
Scheme size
Exception sites are usually small and proportionate to the village.
Access and services
Costs of roads and drainage come out of a smaller budget than market housing.
Long-term control
Legal agreements keep the homes affordable, often with local occupancy rules.
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
Possible once an exception scheme has permission.
Subject-to-planning sale
The usual route: we agree a price and complete when permission is granted.
Option agreements
Useful while housing need is evidenced and a scheme is prepared.
Joint ventures
Can suit estates and charities that want an ongoing say in the homes.
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.
Section 106 and CIL
Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.
Rural exception sites
The National Planning Policy Framework supports small rural exception sites for affordable homes that meet a local need.
When the land isn't straightforward
You're worried about the price
Exception site land sells for less than market housing land by design. We'll show you the basis so you can compare it with farmland value.
You're a charity or trust
Charity trustees usually need advice from a designated adviser before disposing of land. We'll work with your adviser.
Useful to send us
- The address or postcode
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near Chester
What is a rural exception site?
It is a small site, usually next to a village, where planning permission can be granted for affordable homes as an exception to normal policy, to meet a proven local need.
Do rural exception sites exist in Wales?
Yes. Welsh planning policy also supports rural exception sites for affordable housing that meets local need.
Do you plan affordable housing?
Yes. Affordable and social housing is part of the land-to-homes work the S&K Group is setting out to do, and we can talk through how a scheme on your land might work.
Do you cover the villages around Chester?
Yes. Villages between Chester, Hawarden and Deeside often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
More land we buy in Chester
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- Green belt and grey belt land
- 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 Chester
- Land for affordable homes in Cheshire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Chester
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.