Sell land for affordable homes in Billingham
If you own land around Billingham 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.
A rural exception site is a small site on the edge of a village, where housing would not normally be allowed, that can be granted permission for affordable homes to meet a local need. Land sold for this purpose usually achieves more than farmland value, though less than open-market housing land.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
Selling land near Billingham?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where Billingham sits
The land we're most interested in near Billingham sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards Stockton-on-Tees (2 miles) and Middlesbrough (2 miles).
Former coalfield villages in the east, the North Pennines National Landscape to the west, and green belt around Durham city linking with Tyne and Wear.
| Town | Billingham |
|---|---|
| County | County Durham |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | TS23 |
| OS grid square | NZ42 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Stockton-on-Tees (2 mi), Middlesbrough (2 mi), Thornaby-on-Tees (4 mi) |
| Distance from Darlington | About 11 miles north-east |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| Ways to sell | Outright, subject to planning, option or joint venture |

What makes land for affordable housing near Billingham worth an offer
- Small fields or paddocks adjoining a village
- Sites with safe access and walking routes to village facilities
- Land suitable for a handful of homes up to a small scheme
- Parish councils open to a community-led scheme
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.
The things that move our offer
Local policy
Each council sets its own rules for exception sites, including whether any market homes are allowed.
Tenure mix
Social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership homes produce different values.
Scheme size
Exception sites are usually small and proportionate to the village.
Long-term control
Legal agreements keep the homes affordable, often with local occupancy rules.
Four routes to a sale
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.
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.
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 County Durham
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
The village has no recent housing survey
Need can be evidenced through a new survey with the parish council and the council's housing team.
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 rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
Your questions answered
Will I get open-market land value?
No. Exception sites are priced below open-market housing land because the homes must stay affordable. The price is still usually well above agricultural value.
Who lives in the homes?
Usually people with a local connection who can't afford market housing, chosen under rules set in a legal agreement.
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 Billingham?
Yes. Villages between Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Also near Billingham
More land we buy in Billingham
- 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 Billingham
- Land for affordable homes in County Durham
Get a straight answer about your land
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.