Sell strategic land and large sites in Hitchin
If you own strategic land near Hitchin, we can usually tell you quite quickly whether it suits us, and if it doesn't, we'll say why.
Strategic land is a larger site, usually several acres or more, whose development depends on being allocated in a local plan or winning a major planning permission. Because that can take years, strategic land is usually sold on an option or a conditional contract rather than outright.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Hitchin
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Land around Hitchin
From Hitchin, it's 3 miles to Letchworth Garden City and 5 miles to Stevenage. We buy land across that whole stretch of Hertfordshire, not only within the town.
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
- Blocks of land of several acres on the edge of towns and larger villages
- Sites that can be reached from a main road or a new junction
- Holdings in a single ownership, or neighbours willing to work together
- Land without major heritage, ecology or flood constraints
Large sites on the edge of towns are where much of the country's new housing ends up. Getting there takes local plan promotion, technical studies and patience, and the deal needs to reflect that.
The things that move our offer
Infrastructure
New roads, schools or drainage on a large scheme are paid for out of land value.
Price mechanism
Options and conditional contracts usually pay a share of market value at the time permission is granted.
Term length
Longer agreements give more time for planning but tie up your land for longer.
Phasing
Large sites are often bought in phases, with payments staged to match.
Ways to sell this land
Outright purchase
Rare on unallocated strategic land, but possible at a risk-adjusted price.
Subject-to-planning sale
A fixed or formula price paid once an acceptable permission is granted.
Option agreements
The usual route: an option fee now and a price based on market value later.
Joint ventures
Lets you share in the development value if you can wait for it.
How a sale works
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.
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.
Green belt and grey belt
Green belt land is protected from inappropriate development. National policy in England also recognises 'grey belt': green belt land that doesn't strongly contribute to key green belt purposes, where housing can be acceptable if further tests are met.
Farm tenancies
Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies and farm business tenancies have their own notice and compensation rules, which affect when land can be developed.
Awkward details we deal with
The land is farmed by a tenant
Tenancies need managing before building can start. We look at notice periods and compensation early.
You are worried about being tied up for years
We agree a term with clear milestones, so the agreement can end if planning stalls.
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
Common questions
What counts as strategic land?
There's no legal definition. In practice it means larger sites, often over five acres, whose route to development runs through the local plan or a major planning application.
Do I pay for planning on strategic land?
Normally not. Under an option or conditional contract the buyer funds planning and technical work, and recovers those costs from the land price only if the agreement allows it.
Can I farm the land while planning is pursued?
Usually, yes. Agreements normally let you keep using the land until the buyer needs it.
How do I get an offer for land in Hitchin?
Use the form on this page or call 0800 088 6248. Tell us the postcode, the rough size and anything you know about planning, and we'll come back to you.
Large strategic sites near Hitchin
Other land types and routes
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Green belt and grey belt land
- Land for affordable homes
- 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
- Large strategic sites in Hertfordshire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Hitchin
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.