Sell land for affordable homes in Hitchin
If you own land for affordable housing near Hitchin, 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
Get an offer for land in Hitchin
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Where Hitchin sits
Hitchin (SG4) sits in OS grid square TL12, some 21 miles north of Watford. Sites between here and Letchworth Garden City or Henlow are just as much of interest to us.
Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, which makes land with genuine development prospects scarce and keenly contested.
| Town | Hitchin |
|---|---|
| County | Hertfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | SG4 |
| OS grid square | TL12 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Letchworth Garden City (3 mi), Stevenage (5 mi), Henlow (6 mi) |
| Distance from Watford | About 21 miles north |
| 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 Hitchin
- 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.
The things that move our offer
Housing need
A local housing needs survey usually has to show demand for the homes.
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.
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.
From first call to completion
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.
Planning and legal points for land in Hertfordshire
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.
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.
Useful to send us
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
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.
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 Hitchin?
Yes. We consider land in and around Hitchin 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 Hitchin
Other land in Hitchin
- 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 Hitchin
- Land for affordable homes in Hertfordshire
Ready to talk about your land in Hitchin?
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.