Joint ventures on land in Durham
If you own land in or around Durham, joint ventures is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.
A land joint venture is an arrangement where the landowner contributes the land and a developer contributes funding, planning and building, with the proceeds shared in an agreed way. It can produce the most value for the landowner, but it takes longer and carries more risk than a sale.
- 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 Durham sits
Durham (DH1) sits in OS grid square NZ24, about 17 miles north of Darlington. Sites between here and Chester-le-Street or Stanley are just as much of interest to us.
Former coalfield villages in the east, the North Pennines National Landscape to the west, and green belt around Durham city linking with Tyne and Wear.
| Town | Durham |
|---|---|
| County | County Durham |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | DH1 |
| OS grid square | NZ24 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Chester-le-Street (6 mi), Houghton-le-Spring (6 mi), Stanley (8 mi) |
| Distance from Darlington | About 17 miles north |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| When you're paid | Over time, as homes are built and sold |
| Planning costs | Shared or ours, as agreed |
When a land joint venture suits land near Durham
- Sites where we'd aim to build the homes ourselves
- Land with planning permission or a strong prospect
- Owners comfortable sharing risk as well as reward
- Land where affordable or social housing forms part of the scheme
Joint ventures can be structured in different ways, from a land price plus a share of profit to a full partnership. We'll explain each so you can choose with your advisers.
What to check in a land joint venture
Structure
Land price plus profit share, a partnership or a company: each has different tax and legal effects.
Risk
You share in downside as well as upside, so independent advice is essential.
Timing
Returns arrive as homes sell, which can take years.
Land value
How your land is valued going into the venture matters.
Land near Durham that a land joint venture suits
Development land in Durham
Worth discussing if you want a share of the finished development value.
Land with planning permission in Durham
An option if you would like a share of the profit from building the homes.
Large strategic sites in Durham
Lets you share in the development value if you can wait for it.
Landlocked land and access problems in Durham
Often the best way to combine landlocked land with the land that gives access.
How a sale works
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.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in County Durham
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.
Tax on the sale
The buyer pays Stamp Duty Land Tax. As the seller you may owe capital gains tax, and some commercial land carries VAT. Take advice from an accountant.
Awkward details we deal with
You're not sure you can afford to wait
Many structures pay part of the land value up front, with the rest as homes sell.
You want to keep part of the land
Joint ventures can cover just part of your holding.
Useful to send us
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Any planning applications or letters
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
Common questions
Do I have to put money in?
Not usually. Your contribution is normally the land itself.
Do I need separate advice?
Yes. You should have your own solicitor and tax adviser before entering a joint venture.
Can a joint venture include affordable homes?
Yes. Affordable and social housing can form part of a scheme, and we can talk through how it affects returns.
Do you buy land in Durham?
Yes. We consider land in and around Durham and across County Durham. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
More land we buy in Durham
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- 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
- All land in Durham
- Joint ventures in County Durham
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.