Sell land for affordable homes in Exeter
If you own land around Exeter 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.
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.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
Get an offer for land in Exeter
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Where Exeter sits
From Exeter, it's 1 mile to Heavitree and 9 miles to Exmouth. We buy land across that whole stretch of Devon, not only within the town.
A large rural county with Dartmoor and part of Exmoor, several national landscapes, and growth centred on Exeter, Plymouth and the market towns.
| Town | Exeter |
|---|---|
| County | Devon |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | EX2 |
| OS grid square | SX99 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Heavitree (1 mi), Exmouth (9 mi), Tiverton (12 mi) |
| Distance from Plymouth | About 36 miles north-east |
| 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 Exeter
- Small fields or paddocks adjoining a village
- Sites with safe access and walking routes to village facilities
- Parish councils open to a community-led scheme
- Sites where a small share of market homes could help viability, where policy allows it
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.
What decides the value of land for affordable housing near Exeter
Local policy
Each council sets its own rules for exception sites, including whether any market homes are allowed.
Land price norms
Exception site land is typically priced well above farmland but below open-market housing land.
Tenure mix
Social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership homes produce different values.
Access and services
Costs of roads and drainage come out of a smaller budget than market housing.
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.
From first call to completion
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
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.
Common problems, and how we handle them
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 plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Common questions
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.
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 buy land in Exeter?
Yes. We consider land in and around Exeter and across Devon. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
Other land types and routes
- 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 Exeter
- Land for affordable homes in Devon
Ready to talk about your land in Exeter?
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.