Sell land for affordable homes in St Helens
We consider land for affordable housing in St Helens and across Merseyside, from sites close to the WA10 postcode district out towards Prescot and Ashton-in-Makerfield.
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
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
Tell us about your land
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Where St Helens sits
St Helens (WA10) sits in OS grid square SJ59, some 10 miles east of Liverpool. Sites between here and Prescot or Huyton are just as much of interest to us.
Largely urban, with substantial brownfield land in Liverpool and the surrounding boroughs and green belt around the edges.
| Town | St Helens |
|---|---|
| County | Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | WA10 |
| OS grid square | SJ59 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Prescot (3 mi), Ashton-in-Makerfield (4 mi), Huyton (5 mi) |
| Distance from Liverpool | About 10 miles 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 St Helens worth an offer
- Small fields or paddocks adjoining a village
- Villages with evidence of local housing need
- Land suitable for a handful of homes up to a small scheme
- Parish councils open to a community-led scheme
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.
What affects the price
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.
Scheme size
Exception sites are usually small and proportionate to the village.
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
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
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.
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
- The address or postcode
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near St Helens
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 cover the villages around St Helens?
Yes. Villages between St Helens, Prescot and Ashton-in-Makerfield often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Other land in St Helens
- 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 St Helens
- Land for affordable homes in Merseyside
Find out what we'd pay for your land near St Helens
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.