Sell land subject to planning in St Ives
For owners in St Ives and the PE27 area, a subject-to-planning sale is worth understanding before you talk to any buyer, including us.
A subject-to-planning sale, or conditional contract, is a sale where contracts are exchanged now but completion only happens once an acceptable planning permission is granted. It lets you agree a price based on the land's value with permission, while the buyer pays for and manages the application.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
Get an offer for land in St Ives
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where St Ives sits
Land around St Ives falls under England's planning system. The closest towns we also cover are Huntingdon, 5 miles away, and St Neots, 11 miles away, and Peterborough is 18 miles away.
Flat arable fenland in the north contrasts with a fast-growing Cambridge area in the south, where the Cambridge green belt surrounds the city.
| Town | St Ives |
|---|---|
| County | Cambridgeshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | PE27 |
| OS grid square | TL37 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Huntingdon (5 mi), St Neots (11 mi), Cambridge (12 mi) |
| Distance from Peterborough | About 18 miles south-east |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| When you're paid | On completion, after permission is granted |
| Planning costs | Ours |
Who a subject-to-planning sale works best for
- Small sites with a clear planning case
- Owners willing to wait for a higher price
- Land with a registered title
- Sites where the planning period can be agreed in advance
This route suits most building plots, garden land and small sites, where the planning process can be measured in months rather than years.
How the money works
Long-stop date
If permission isn't granted by an agreed date, either side can end the contract.
Appeals
Contracts say whether we can appeal a refusal and how long that adds.
Price adjustments
Some contracts adjust the price for the number of homes approved.
Your use meanwhile
You normally keep using the land until completion.
Land near St Ives that a subject-to-planning sale suits
Farmland and agricultural land in St Ives
Higher price paid when permission is granted on the field.
Paddocks and equestrian land in St Ives
We complete once homes are approved on the paddock.
Garage sites in St Ives
The most common route for garage courts.
Inherited and probate land in St Ives
Possible if beneficiaries are happy to wait for a higher price.
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.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
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.
Common problems, and how we handle them
You're worried about being tied up indefinitely
A long-stop date sets the maximum time. If permission isn't granted by then, you're free.
You're worried we'll get permission for something you don't like
The contract can set out the scheme or limits on what we apply for.
Useful to send us
- The address or postcode
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near St Ives
Who pays for the planning application?
We do, along with the surveys and consultants needed to support it.
What happens if planning is refused?
We may appeal if the contract allows. If permission isn't secured by the long-stop date, the contract ends and you keep your land.
Can I still use the land before completion?
Usually yes, until we need access for surveys or until completion.
Do you cover the villages around St Ives?
Yes. Villages between St Ives, Huntingdon and St Neots often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Also near St Ives
Other land types and routes
- 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
- Option agreements
- Joint ventures
- All land in St Ives
- Subject-to-planning sale in Cambridgeshire
Ready to talk about your land in St Ives?
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.