Sell land for affordable homes in Whitehaven
If you own land for affordable housing near Whitehaven, we can usually tell you quite quickly whether it suits us, and if it doesn't, we'll say why.
Many landowners like the idea of land helping local families. We explain how exception sites work, what the price is based on and how local need is shown.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Whitehaven?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Whitehaven at a glance
Whitehaven (CA28) sits in OS grid square NX91, about 35 miles south-west of Carlisle. Sites between here and Workington or Maryport are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Whitehaven |
|---|---|
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CA28 |
| OS grid square | NX91 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Workington (7 mi), Cockermouth (12 mi), Maryport (12 mi) |
| Distance from Carlisle | About 35 miles south-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 Whitehaven
- 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.
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.
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
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.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
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
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
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
What people ask us about land for affordable housing
Can some homes be sold on the open market?
Some councils allow a small number of market homes to make a scheme viable. It depends on local policy.
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 Whitehaven?
Yes. Villages between Whitehaven, Workington and Cockermouth often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Land for affordable homes near Whitehaven
Other land in Whitehaven
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- 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 Whitehaven
- Land for affordable homes in Cumbria
Get a straight answer about your land
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.