Sell land for affordable homes in Rochester
Selling land for affordable housing near Rochester doesn't have to start with an agent and a marketing campaign. You can talk to a buyer first and still take independent advice before you decide.
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
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Rochester
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Rochester at a glance
The land we're most interested in near Rochester sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards Chatham (1 mile) and Strood (1 mile).
Metropolitan Green Belt in the west, the Kent Downs and High Weald National Landscapes, and growth around Ashford, Maidstone and the Medway towns.
| Town | Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Kent |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | ME1 |
| OS grid square | TQ76 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Chatham (1 mi), Strood (1 mi), Gillingham (2 mi) |
| Distance from Maidstone | About 8 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 Rochester
- 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
- Land owned by families, estates, churches or charities
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.
How we arrive at a figure for land in Kent
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.
Tenure mix
Social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership homes produce different values.
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.
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.
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 plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
Do rural exception sites exist in Wales?
Yes. Welsh planning policy also supports rural exception sites for affordable housing that meets 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 cover the villages around Rochester?
Yes. Villages between Rochester, Chatham and Strood often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Other land in Rochester
- 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 Rochester
- Land for affordable homes in Kent
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Rochester
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.