How much is my land worth to a developer?

By Iain Forster, The Land Buyer. Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

In shortA developer values land by what can lawfully be built on it, worked backwards from the sale value of the finished homes less build cost, fees, profit and the cost of planning. Without planning, land is worth today's use plus hope value. With planning, a village edge acre in England can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The exact figure needs the postcode, the size and the plan.

There are two honest answers and one dishonest one. The honest ones are the value today, which is what a farmer or neighbour would pay. The other is the value with planning, which is what a housebuilder would pay once homes can be built. The dishonest answer is a single big number from someone who has not checked whether planning is possible.

The sum

Take the number of homes the site would take. Multiply by the sale price of a new home in that village. Take off the cost of building them, the roads and services, the fees and the council's contributions. Take off the builder's profit, around twenty per cent of the sales. What is left is what a builder can pay for the land with planning. Take off the cost and risk of winning the planning. What is left is the most a developer can offer you before planning. A worked example with real figures.

What moves it most

House prices in your village, more than anything.
How many homes the council would allow, which the local plan and recent decisions tell us.
What the council asks for: affordable housing, education and highway contributions.
Constraints: flood zone, protected trees, a listed building next door, a bad access.
Whether the land is allocated, inside a boundary, beside one or in open countryside.

We give a written view of value, with the sum, after ten days of free desk checks. We would rather be checked than believed.

Questions landowners ask

Straight answers

What is land without planning permission worth?

Its value in its current use, usually agricultural, plus hope value if there is a credible planning prospect. In an English village edge that can be several times agricultural value, but it is still a fraction of the value with permission.

How much is an acre of land with planning permission worth?

It depends entirely on where it is and how many homes it takes. A village edge acre taking five homes in a village where new houses sell at £450,000 can be worth about £450,000 with full permission. The same acre in a cheaper area or with constraints can be a third of that.

Will you tell me what my land is worth for free?

Yes. After ten days of desk checks you receive a written view of value with the arithmetic shown. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Free land review

Tell us about your land

Tell us the postcode. We do the rest at our cost and come back to you within ten days.