Sell land for affordable homes in Hatfield
For owners of land for affordable housing in and around Hatfield, we offer four ways to sell, from a clean outright purchase to deals that pay more once planning is granted.
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.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where Hatfield sits
Hatfield (AL10) sits in OS grid square TL20, roughly 10 miles north-east of Watford. Sites between here and Welwyn Garden City or Potters Bar are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Hatfield |
|---|---|
| County | Hertfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | AL10 |
| OS grid square | TL20 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Welwyn Garden City (3 mi), St Albans (5 mi), Potters Bar (5 mi) |
| Distance from Watford | About 10 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 Hatfield worth an offer
- Small fields or paddocks adjoining a village
- 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
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
Land price norms
Exception site land is typically priced well above farmland but below open-market housing land.
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.
Ways to sell this land
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
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
You get a written offer
With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
Rules that apply in England
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
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
Questions from landowners near Hatfield
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.
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 Hatfield?
Yes. We consider land in and around Hatfield and across Hertfordshire. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
Also near Hatfield
Other land in Hatfield
- 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 Hatfield
- Land for affordable homes in Hertfordshire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Hatfield
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.