Selling land in Dorset & Hampshire

What decides whether land can be developed

Five things settle most cases. Access: can the land reach a road safely? The site itself: size, shape and how a new home would sit next to the neighbours. Planning policy: the council's local plan, settlement boundaries and, outside towns, the Green Belt. Protected habitats: in our part of the country, the heathland, nutrient and coastal rules below. And everything else on the map: conservation areas, listed buildings, trees and flood risk.

National policy is set by the National Planning Policy Framework, updated in August 2026. Councils decide most minor applications (fewer than 10 homes) within 8 weeks and major ones within 13 weeks, unless a longer period is agreed. Permission in principle, for small housing sites of up to 9 homes, has a 5-week limit.

Sources: National Planning Policy Framework, August 2026 (GOV.UK) · Determining a planning application (GOV.UK) · Permission in principle (GOV.UK)

The local rules that catch people out

Dorset heathlands: new homes within 400 metres of protected heathland in south-east Dorset are strictly controlled, and homes between 400 metres and 5 kilometres pay towards mitigation.

Nutrients: new homes draining to Poole Harbour must be nitrogen neutral, and in BCP's area every qualifying application now mitigates by buying nutrient credits. Extra homes in the River Avon catchment, including parts of Christchurch, need phosphate mitigation. Parts of the New Forest district that drain to the Solent need nitrogen neutrality too.

New Forest and the Solent: homes within 13.8 kilometres of the New Forest's protected sites pay a recreational mitigation contribution, and homes within 5.6 kilometres of the Solent's protected habitats contribute to the Bird Aware Solent scheme.

Green Belt: most new building in the Green Belt is inappropriate, but national policy allows some development on 'grey belt' land that meets strict tests.

Sources: Dorset Heathlands Planning Framework (Dorset Council) · Developer contributions (BCP Council) · Poole Harbour nitrogen: local plan for the Poole area (BCP Council) · Nutrient and phosphate requirements (BCP Council) · Solent SPA mitigation explanatory note (New Forest National Park Authority) · NPPF chapter 13: protecting Green Belt land (GOV.UK) · Flood map for planning (GOV.UK)

Ways to sell land

Outright sale: the buyer pays an agreed price and takes the planning risk. Simple and quick, and the price reflects the risk.

Subject to planning (a conditional contract): you agree a price now, the buyer applies for planning, and the sale completes if permission is granted. Usually a higher price, paid later.

Option agreement: the buyer pays for the right, but not the obligation, to buy within a set period, often while it promotes the land through the local plan. Common for larger greenfield sites.

Overage: an extra payment to you if the land later gets a better planning permission or sells for more. It can sit alongside any of the above.

Each has a place. We'll explain which suits your land and put it in writing, so you can take advice from your own solicitor.