Whether you’re buying land for self-build, rewilding or permaculture, there are a few basic things that are important to know when you’re viewing land for sale.
In this UK land purchase guide, we’ll help you avoid common pitfalls and walk you through an simple way of understanding the true value of land.
Understanding the UK Land Market
Why Buy Land in the UK?
Buying land in the UK for a self-build is generally more expensive than buying a ready-made home. But then you get the freedom to choose how you live – you could build a sustainable earthship, a tiny home or an architectural marvel.
If you’re interested in rewilding or permaculture, then buying land lets you choose how it develops, restoring biodiversity or creating an abundant food forest in a previously neglected horse field.
This is all true in theory, but in reality, self-build plots must have planning permission, and changing plans could add years to a project. And rewilding or permaculture is permitted on some land, but planting lots of trees and placing greenhouses is restricted by law.
This UK land purchase guide will walk you through the (sometimes harsh) reality of buying land – what do you really need to know and how hard is it to buy into your dreams?
Overview of Land Uses
Self-build
Building your own home on land which isn’t (usually) already occupied. It’s often easier to buy an existing, dilapidated structure, tear it down and build new than get planning permission for a new structure on green land.
Permaculture
Growing your own food and other products at high density on a small scale. This usually means cultivating perennial plants, rather than annual crops, and raising livestock, from chickens to goats for their products.
Allotment
Growing annual vegetables alongside a limited number of perennial crops like fruit trees. This is a lower biodiversity, higher intensity system, which typically requires a lot of effort, including weeding, digging and fertilising.
Farming
On land above about 10 acres, it makes sense to invest in machinery like tractors. This turns crop and perennial cultivation into a lower effort activity, making it possible to manage allotments and permaculture at scale.
Rewilding
Unproductive plots like small fields or land with poor soil can be rewilded – actively managed to become more wild. Once they reach that state, management can drop off to a minimum, becoming a nature reserve.
Managed Woodland
This varies from conifer plantations at one extreme to biodiverse native forests at the other. These can be managed sustainably, through selective felling (e.g. CCT), or in a damaging way, by clear-felling, to extract timber.
Types of Land: Agricultural, Woodland, Recreational & Development
While buying land is generally most expensive in the South East and cheapest in the North of England, there are other factors which influence its cost…
Agricultural Land
Cost £
Currently in use for growing crops or raising livestock. It is best-suited to permaculture and allotments. Poor quality agricultural land can be suitable for rewilding or growing a new managed woodland.
Woodland
Cost ££
An established woodland, with mature trees – it can be taken on for timber production – see our guide to Woodland Management. While it can technically be used for rewilding, its value for wildlife is already likely to be high.
Recreational Land
Cost £££
Some land, like stretches of riverbank, are designated as recreational land. They are already used for fishing, camping or other recreational activities.
Development Land
Cost ££££££££££
Self-builds require development land with planning permission, which comes at a premium. Development land can cost 10 to 30 times more than the same land without outline planning consent. This land may come with services like water, electric, gas and internet already onsite.
Find Land for Sale Near Me
Search Engines
If you’re in England and Wales, you’re in luck, as Addland offers an exhaustive land search, which lets you filter by land type (and more with a paid membership. In Scotland, the best service is Rightmove, which, as when buying land in the UK more generally, the service you search for ‘commercial property’ – the category which includes land.
Auctions
You may find some properties which haven’t been picked up by the major search engines, in land auctions. These are held regularly by local auction houses, and may require you to pay and/or register to make a bid – this fee is refunded when you make a winning bid. It is important to visit a site and do any research into e.g. planning, before the auction takes place.
How to Find Cheap Land
Looking for UK land that isn’t listed on the market? There are a few different ways to find it. Ask local landowners – farmers, business owners and councillors. Speak to the parish council, who are likely to know the major landowners in the area. Post on the local Facebook group and consider putting up an advert in a shop window, or on social media, targeting horse owners, who often buy and sell land.
Legal and Practical Considerations
What Questions to Ask When You Buy Land
Whatever you’re planning on using your land for, there are a few key things you’ll need to find out when viewing a property or researching it online:
What are the local plans?
The local council should have laid out plans for future development of their district. This will let you know which areas are earmarked for housing, industrial development, transport links, green belt etc. It will help you identify whether you are likely to become encircled by housing, or find it difficult to get planning approval.
Are there any pending applications?
If there are any existing planning applications which are currently being processed, these may be possible to view on the local council’s website. This will help you identify potential development on neighbouring land.
What are the refused applications?
In the same place that you find pending applications, you may be able to find a list of historic applications for planning consent which were refused. This can give you an idea of what is not permitted in your area, and what neighbours may plan to reapply for in the future.
What services are connected?
When on a site visit, or speaking to a landowner, check what services are available on the land for sale. That includes water, electric, gas, sewerage and phone/internet. Most plots won’t have much more than mains water, and that’s if you’re lucky! Look up how much it costs to get connected, and what the backlog is in your area (it may take years to get hooked up).
How restricted is the access?
You should have vehicle access to a public highway from your land. This may come in the form of an ‘easement’ – a legal right to pass over adjoining land at any time, in any vehicle. Be sure to check that this easement is included in your purchase, and that the land is suitable for year-round access (i.e. not a muddy track or field).
What Self-Builders Need to Know Before Buying Land
Planning Permission
It’s important to check that planning permission is in place, and that it hasn’t expired. The planning permission must cover the type of building that you intend to construct, or be similar enough that you are likely to get any changes approved by the council. Check the application – is this just outline consent, or if it is detailed planning permission?
Services
Check if there are any wells or septic tanks already on the land, as these could save a big expense in connecting to mains water and sewerage. Find out where the nearest electric connection is, and the same for phone.
Obstacles
Underground and aboveground services may get in the way of your build. Check for powerlines and telephone wires on your visit, then use Line Search Before You Dig to search for underground services on your land.
Competition and Sale Reason
Find out why the landowner is selling the property, and check the reason against your common sense. Then find out whether there are other interested parties, to see how soon you need to make a decision. Land purchases usually move slowly, but competition can make things faster.
What Rewilders Need to Know Before Buying Land
Invasive Species
Either commission an ecological survey, or carry out a visual survey yourself in the growing season (Mar-Sep). Check for common invasive plant species which could be difficult to eradicate, like Rhododendron, Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed, Russian Vine and Giant Hogweed.
Boundaries
Make sure that boundary fences and hedges are in good condition, as these will prevent livestock from neighbouring land from roaming onto your property (and vice versa). You may be responsible for the cost of fence and hedge maintenance/replacement, so it’s worth factoring in that cost into the land purchase. You are legally responsible for keeping your livestock from straying onto neighbouring land.
Flooding
Some agricultural land floods for the entire winter – a natural process, but one which restricts your use and can make things expensive due to fences floating off and tracks eroding. You can check the flood risk zone on the Government Website, but it’s a bit alarmist – realistically, it’s better to look at the way the land lies, and its elevation compared to surrounding land, the drainage, tree species, and other factors. The only sure-fire way to judge flood risk is to visit in winter after heavy rain, when nearby areas are already flooded.
Designations
Some designations, like National Landscape, National Park and SSSI, will seriously affect how you can manage your land and what kind of structures are likely to be approved (if any). It’s better to buy land without any statutory designations, a reasonable distance away from protected land like nature reserves.
Diversity & Dispersal
From the start, some land is better for rewilding than others. Thick, diverse hedgerows will encourage rapid colonisation of your land by animals and plants. Neighbouring woodland also helps, and could allow you to benefit from grants (but Ancient Woodland is a designation, so beware!). Good connections from the land you are buying to the wider countryside is a great asset which will speed up the rewilding process, as are high quality wilder areas in the neighbouring landscape.
What Permaculturalists Need to Know Before Buying Land
Aspect
The slope or ‘aspect’ of your land will play a big role in how your plants perform – in the UK, a south-facing slope is best, maximising sunshine and warmth. In Mediterranean climates, north-facing slopes are great for growing trees, with less water loss.
Proximity
With permaculture, your home should be as close to your food-growing land as possible. The further away the land is, the harder it will be to maintain a productive system and harvest food efficiently. So it’s better to find a smaller plot closer to home than a bigger plot that’s a long drive away.
Parking and Access
You’re likely to be visiting your land at all times of day and night, to tend to your crops and livestock. So it’s important to make sure that your vehicle access isn’t restricted – that you have enough parking for your car (for transporting materials like fencing, trees, structures, livestock food, water etc) and for any visitors.
Water
With livestock and crops likely to be present on your site, it’s useful to have access to a year-round supply of drinking water. Ponds can harbour diseases like liver fluke which are toxic to livestock, though they may be a good solution for watering plants. Landowners typically store rainwater from a shed roof in IBC containers, which can be stored out in all weathers. These may fall foul of planning legislation – but this is most likely to be an issue in areas like National Parks, National Landscapes and on fields adjoining people’s gardens.
How to Assess a Plot's Potential
The price of land will vary a lot depending on what you’re intending to use it for, but here are a few things to consider, regardless of the use:
Views
Unobstructed views across open countryside could be a key selling point. But they also mean your site is visible from afar. This could affect planning permission and what structures you can get away with on permaculture and rewilding sites. Wind damage is more of an issue on exposed sites, and north-facing slopes get little or no sunlight in winter months.
Road Access
A gate onto a public highway is a major benefit, as it reduces arguments with neighbours over track maintenance and issues with winter access. However, proximity to the road increases the risk of rural crime, fly-tipping in your gateway and the noise from traffic. Your project will have more eyes on it, giving planning decisions a bigger impact.
Neighbours
A woodland which adjoins a racetrack is much cheaper than one which runs along the edge of a tranquil river. But every neighbour has its upside and downside – rivers can flood, tranquil countryside can be developed, while it’s easier (and cheaper) to live next to your land when it’s adjacent to a housing estate.
Terrain
Flat land is much easier to build on, and simpler to use for permaculture. But sloping terrain has character, and tends to be more diverse, increasing its value for rewilding. Existing ponds could be of high biodiversity value – just check that they aren’t overrun with invasive plants in the growing season, as aquatic species are nearly impossible to eradicate.
Public Footpaths
The presence of public footpaths on land will reduce its value – it opens you up to more insurance liability and make your land more vulnerable to rural crime (though both of these risks are generally overstated). Bridleways are significantly worse than footpaths, as they allow offroad bikes, which are generally a nuisance, and facilitate rural crime. That said, it can be fun to share your land with the public, and their response to positive interpretation signage and biodiverse management is likely to be overwhelmingly supportive. Fencing, hedgerows, tree planting, ditches and berms can subtly steer visitors away from sensitive areas.
Maintenance and Management
Essential Tips for Long-Term Land Ownership
Buying land isn’t a one-off thing – it’s a process which may take many months to complete, then years of work to realise your vision. Even after this, you have made a binding commitment – you are a steward now – a protector of a tiny part of our landscape.
Fees
This will vary, depending on what you’re buying the land for, but there are a few different ongoing costs/fees to be aware of. For self-builds, you’ll be paying council tax, but there isn’t an equivalent for land without structures. However, you may still have drainage rates to pay to the local drainage board in low-lying areas. Elsewhere, if you have shared access, you may be responsible for a share of the cost of track maintenance.
Boundaries
The larger your plot, the more fences, hedgerows, ditches and/or walls you’ll be responsible for maintaining. With hedgerows, you can let them grow wild to some extent, but eventually they’ll need cutting back, or they’ll turn into woodland. Metal fences can last 30 years, but wooden ones may last as little as 2-3 in some areas with wet soils and strong winds. Ditches will need occasional dredging, or they’ll silt up and flood your land. Walls need repair very infrequently – they’re one of the lowest maintenance boundaries if installed properly, but cost the most upfront.
Lawns
While wildflower meadows are all the rage, and lower effort than lawns, they do take a bit of maintenance. Without a cut once every few years, they’ll turn into scrub (bushes) over time. They also take a bit of work to establish in the first place, especially on nitrogen-rich soil. It’s important to rake off any arisings (hay) after cutting, to prevent a build-up of nitrogen over time. Cutting meadows every year (or more often) is best – see our Grassland Management guide for more info on establishing and maintaining this habitat.
Reduce Maintenance
Many landowners turn areas which aren’t needed over to patio, gravel or mown lawn. But these can both look a mess without regular maintenance. Rewilding is a better solution, which introduces wild plants, leaning into natural processes rather than working against them. Find out more about working with nature in How to Rewild a Garden.
Opportunities for Revenue Generation
There isn’t a lot of money in owning small plots of land. If there was, then farmers would be rich, but most are barely making enough to get by. Many prospective landowners dream of paying the bills with their land. To be honest, you’re not just unlikely to pay the bills, but extremely unlikely to pay off the cost of your land. With that cold shower out of the way, here are some options for making money from your land…
Glamping and Camping
If you’re creating a biodiverse rewilding project or an abundant permaculture food forest, you’re likely to hear from people who want to visit your land. You can make the most of this opportunity by offering overnight stays. This can vary from a very low input wild camping experience, facilitated by Camp Wild, to bougie Shepherds Huts, which will require planning permission. This isn’t necessarily an easy way to earn money, but it could help provide some income alongside other sources.
Woodland and Biodiversity Schemes
Just like with the camping, this isn’t a great earner, but, combined with a few other sources, it can help to pay the bills. Biodiversity schemes like BNG (biodiversity net gain) will pay for an increase in biodiversity on your site. They’ll use this to offset biodiversity lost elsewhere. That does mean that your good work for wildlife is effectively being used to offset destruction of habitat elsewhere. But the same is also true of many free or discounted tree schemes, which are paid for by carbon offsetting.
Events
A field is just a field, but with your imagination, it could be a private dog park, a wedding venue, a corporate events space, a laser tag arena… take your pick. Running events can be a good way of earning money from your land during the warmer months of the year. Just be aware that you’ll need to factor in costs for equipment, insurance and marketing.
Products
It’s hard to break even selling fruit, vegetables or plants, but when you start processing these things into sustainably sourced craft products, you may be able to make a profit. There’s a big market out there for high quality meat, too – but you need to secure a vendor before you can tap into it. Be aware that anything you make will need marketing – as soon as you list your product for sale, your competition is the entire internet, so you need to stand out. Focus on local buyers, events and vendors, where you’re be more in demand. Will you make enough to live on? Maybe not, but it could help!
