Areas we cover
Selling Land in Staffordshire
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Seven of Staffordshire's nine councils built more homes than the government required in the latest Housing Delivery Test, yet most report less than five years of housing land, and Stoke-on-Trent is below 75%. With Green Belt on the edge of the Black Country and the Cannock Chase heaths to protect, the route for a field depends on which council it sits in.
- We pay for the planning, at our own cost and risk
- Your price is agreed up front, in writing
- If planning is refused, you keep your land and owe nothing
In short
We buy land across Staffordshire and welcome land of every kind in all nine of its council areas: fields and paddocks, inherited land, old yards and larger holdings.
Six of Staffordshire's nine councils are short of the five years of housing land national policy expects, and one built fewer than 75% of the homes it needed in the government's latest count. In those council areas, national policy counts that as evidence that more homes are needed, so a well placed field next to a town or village can make a case outside the local plan, weighed with everything else. Elsewhere the local plan is the surest route. Land in the Green Belt faces stricter national tests. The table below shows each council.
We look for 2 acres or more next to, or well related to, a town or village, with a road frontage or a way to get one.
The next step is a free, confidential desktop review. We tell you which route, if any, suits your land, with no obligation.
Council by Council
The table shows each council's result in the government's Housing Delivery Test 2025, its latest five-year land supply and where its local plan stands.
| Council | Housing Delivery Test 2025 | Five-year land supply | Most recent strategic plan adopted | New plan progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannock Chase | 115% | 5.72 yearsAt April 2025: Cannock Chase District Council: Five Year Supply Position Statement, update post Local Plan adoption (March 2026) | March 2026 | Local Plan 2018 to 2040 adopted 23 March 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| East Staffordshire | 181% | 5.06 yearsAt October 2025: East Staffordshire Borough Council: Note on 5 Year Land Supply Methodology, position at 30 September 2025 (January 2026) | October 2015 | No recent stage listed |
| Lichfield | 232% | 3.5 yearsShort of five yearsAt April 2025: Lichfield District Council: Five year housing land supply (January 2026) | February 2015 | New plan started June 2026: scoping consultation and call for sites from 7 September 2026; timetable puts adoption on 1 April 2029Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 94%Action plan | 7.57 yearsAt April 2026: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council: Five-Year Housing Land Supply Update Report 2026 to 2031 (August 2026) | July 2026 | Local Plan 2020 to 2040 adopted 8 July 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| South Staffordshire | 171% | 0.87 yearsShort of five yearsAt April 2025: South Staffordshire Council: 5 Year Housing Land Supply statement, April 2025 (November 2025) | December 2012 | Local Plan Review submitted December 2024; main modifications consultation from May 2026. A new plan to 2044 started June 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| Stafford | 149% | 1.95 yearsShort of five yearsAt March 2026: Stafford Borough Council: Statement of Five Year Housing Land Supply at 31 March 2026 | June 2014 | New plan to 2045 started: scoping consultation held 8 June to 28 July 2026; timetable puts Gateway 1 on 30 October 2026 and adoption on 30 April 2029Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 160% | 2.95 yearsShort of five yearsAt April 2025: Staffordshire Moorlands District Council: Planning Applications Committee, 22 January 2026, report on SMD/2022/0267, Land at Blythe Park, Cresswell | September 2020 | No recent stage listed |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 66%Below 75%: unmet need | 3.73 yearsShort of five yearsAt April 2025: Stoke-on-Trent City Council: Authority Monitoring Report and Five Year Housing Land Supply 2025 | October 2009 | Final draft Local Plan 2020 to 2040 consultation ran 3 August to 14 September 2026; timetable puts submission in December 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
| Tamworth | 220% | 1.6 yearsShort of five yearsAt April 2025: Tamworth Borough Council: Five-year housing land supply 2025 to 2030 | February 2016 | Final draft Local Plan 2022 to 2043 consultation opened 24 August 2026 with a closing date of 5 October 2026; timetable puts submission in December 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website |
Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026, with later milestones we have checked on council and government websites marked "Checked". Five-year land supply figures come from each council's own latest statement, or the latest figure tested at appeal, linked in each row. A Housing Delivery Test result below 75%, or a supply short of five years, counts as evidence of unmet housing need under policy S5 of the NPPF. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.
South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is, in its Core Strategy's words, a rural district on the north western edge of the West Midlands conurbation. That plan names nine main service villages, Codsall, Penkridge, Perton, Wombourne and Kinver among them, and records 80% of the district as Green Belt. Because its last strategic housing requirement was set in 2012, the council measures supply against the government's figure and counts 0.87 years at 1 April 2025. Its Local Plan Review to 2041, submitted in December 2024, reached main modifications in 2026: the proposed schedule would set a minimum of 4,726 homes, 640 of them towards the unmet needs of the Greater Birmingham and Black Country housing market area, with Land East of Bilbrook and Land North of Penkridge as the strategic sites. Adoption waits on the inspectors' report. The council has also begun a new plan to 2044, with a scoping consultation and call for sites from 10 June to 22 July 2026.
Lichfield
Lichfield district takes in the cathedral city and Burntwood, its two most populated places, and the villages around them, with about half of it in the Green Belt. It delivered more than twice its requirement, but its January 2026 statement uses the government's figure, its Local Plan Strategy of 2015 being over five years old, and finds 3.5 years. The council consulted on issues and options for a plan to 2043 in late 2024, then moved to the government's new system and started again with a plan to 2046. Its call for sites opened on 7 September 2026 with a closing date of 30 November 2026, and land put forward before has to be submitted again on the new form.
Tamworth
Tamworth's supply statement records that of the 6,250 homes it needed from 2006 to 2031, only 4,425 could be found in the borough, with the remaining 1,825 to be delivered in neighbouring areas. Its plan dates from February 2016, so the statement measures against the government's figure and finds 1.6 years. Consultation on the pre-submission draft of its new plan to 2043 opened on 24 August 2026, with a closing date of 5 October 2026.
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase covers Cannock, Rugeley and the villages between them, with around 60% of the district in the Green Belt. Its Local Plan 2018 to 2040, adopted in March 2026, provides at least 5,808 homes for local need, 264 a year for the first five years, plus 500 towards the shortfall in the wider housing market area. Its sites include the former Rugeley Power Station, for mixed use, and housing east of Wimblebury Road, Heath Hayes; against that plan the council shows 5.72 years.
Stafford
Stafford Borough covers the county town, Stone and a wide rural area along the M6, on a plan from June 2014. A new plan to 2045 started in June 2026, with a scoping consultation from 8 June to 28 July 2026. Its statement at 31 March 2026 measures against the government's figure of 760 homes a year, adds a 20% buffer and finds 1.95 years, with 1,004 of its 1,781 deliverable homes on the strategic development locations north and west of the town.
The buffer needs a word. The statement applies paragraph 78(c) of the framework, the rule that from 1 July 2026 adds 20% for decisions where a requirement adopted within the past five years was tested against a framework from before December 2024 and comes to 80% or less of the government's figure. Stafford's plan dates from June 2014, and the statement itself says the requirement defaults to the government's figure because the plan is over five years old, so on its own terms the rule does not fit. With the usual 5% buffer, the statement's numbers give 798 homes a year and roughly 2.2 years, on our arithmetic. Either way the borough is well short; the question is how heavily the shortfall weighs.
Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Stoke-on-Trent's strategic policies still come from its Core Spatial Strategy of October 2009, and with a result of 66% and 3.73 years of land it faces the strongest policy pressure in the county. It published its own plan to 2040 for comment from 3 August to 14 September 2026, and its timetable puts submission in December 2026. Newcastle-under-Lyme, the borough west of the city, adopted its Local Plan 2020 to 2040 in July 2026. Its August 2026 statement adds a 20% buffer and still shows 7.57 years. On 23 June 2026 its cabinet resolved not to start the next plan until the outcome of reorganisation is known.
East Staffordshire and Staffordshire Moorlands
East Staffordshire covers Burton upon Trent and Uttoxeter and delivered 181% of its requirement on a plan from October 2015. The council's 2023 review found that plan up to date for deciding applications, though for land supply a requirement over five years old is replaced by the government's figure. Its supply note at 30 September 2025 does exactly that: 607 homes a year on the government's method, 637 with a 5% buffer, against 3,222 deliverable homes, which gives 5.06 years. The margin is slim, and the note records completions falling to 576 in 2024/25, below the 607 a year it now measures against. Staffordshire Moorlands covers Leek, Biddulph and Cheadle; its plan, adopted in September 2020, passed five years in September 2025, and its planning committee was told in January 2026 that it could show 2.95 years, a figure the report gives without saying what it is measured against.
The Land We Look for in Staffordshire
- Fields of 2 acres or more on the edge of Stafford, Stone, Uttoxeter, Leek, Cheadle, Biddulph or a larger village.
- Green Belt land in South Staffordshire or Lichfield that is enclosed by roads, housing or buildings.
- Land on the edge of Stoke-on-Trent, where the city's delivery result supports the case for homes.
- Land mostly in Flood Zone 1, away from the Trent and Dove flood plains.
- Holdings of 20 acres or more around Stafford, Lichfield or Tamworth.
Land within 15km of Cannock Chase, in the River Mease catchment or near the Peak District is not ruled out; our review says plainly what that means.
The planning detail in full
Nine Councils Between the Peak District and the Black Country
Staffordshire has eight district and borough councils and the unitary city of Stoke-on-Trent. Each decides applications and prepares its own local plan, while Staffordshire County Council handles roads, schools, minerals and waste. In the north east, the Staffordshire Moorlands plan covers the district except the part inside the Peak District National Park, where the National Park Authority decides instead.
- Most councils build well above target. In the Housing Delivery Test 2025, Lichfield delivered 232% of its requirement and Tamworth 220%; East Staffordshire, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stafford and Cannock Chase also cleared 100%.
- Stoke-on-Trent is below 75%. The city delivered 1,384 homes against 2,109 needed, a result of 66%, so unmet need there is treated as evidenced.
- Newcastle-under-Lyme needs an action plan. It is below 95%, at 94%.
- Land supply is where the pressure shows. South Staffordshire reports 0.87 years, Tamworth 1.6 years, Stafford 1.95 years, Staffordshire Moorlands 2.95 years, Lichfield 3.5 years and Stoke-on-Trent 3.73 years. Cannock Chase (5.72 years) and Newcastle-under-Lyme (7.57 years) show five years or more, on plans adopted in March 2026 and July 2026, and East Staffordshire (5.06 years) only just clears the line.
- Reorganisation on hold. The government settled on two unitary councils from April 2028, one for Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands and one for the six southern councils, but Stafford Borough Council reports that the review launched on 7 September 2026 has put that on hold. The existing councils still decide applications.
What Shapes Planning in Staffordshire
Green Belt North and South
The Green Belt around Birmingham and the Black Country reaches deep into the south of the county: 80% of South Staffordshire, around 60% of Cannock Chase and about half of Lichfield district, on the councils' own figures. The North Staffordshire Green Belt, first defined in 1967, wraps the Potteries: the city's Green Belt assessment of May 2026 calls it tight and narrow, running out to the boundary with Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford, unchanged for over 30 years, and proposes no release, which is for the plan to decide. Policy S5 of the August 2026 NPPF does not apply in the Green Belt. Land that does not strongly contribute to Green Belt purposes can be grey belt, where homes need evidence of need, usually less than five years of supply or delivery below 75%. South Staffordshire, Lichfield and Stoke-on-Trent all show that today, with the Golden Rules applying to larger schemes. In Cannock Chase and Newcastle-under-Lyme, with five years of land, neither test is met, so Green Belt land there mostly waits for a future plan. Our grey belt guide explains the purposes.
Cannock Chase: Heathland and a 15km Zone
Cannock Chase is protected twice over, as a Special Area of Conservation and a National Landscape. Councils treat any net gain of one or more homes within 15km of it as harmful unless mitigation is in place. Lichfield, for example, requires £369.58 for each net new home on payments agreed between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, plus a 5% monitoring fee: modest next to other scheme costs, but allowed for from the start.
The River Mease
Part of Lichfield district drains to the River Mease, another Special Area of Conservation, this time sensitive to nutrients: nutrient neutrality applies to new homes in the catchment, and Lichfield belongs to the developer contribution strategy that protects the river's water quality. The same river shapes land over the border, as our Leicestershire page explains.
The Peak District and the Trent
National Parks have the highest status of protection in national policy, and inside the park the Park Authority decides; land on the edge of Leek or Cheadle, outside the boundary, is judged by Staffordshire Moorlands under its own plan. Flood risk follows the Trent and its tributaries; land in Flood Zones 2 or 3 must pass the sequential test, as our flood risk guide explains.
Where Growth Is Focused
The M6, M6 Toll, A38, A50 and West Coast Main Line tie the county to Birmingham, Manchester and the East Midlands, and the plans point growth here:
| Area | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Edge of Wolverhampton and the Black Country | South Staffordshire's review includes 640 homes for the wider housing market area, with Land East of Bilbrook and Land North of Penkridge as its strategic sites. |
| Lichfield, Burntwood and the A38 | Lichfield's 2024 consultation named four possible new settlements: Whitemoor Garden Village and Brookhay east of the A38, the Thorpe Estate north of Tamworth and Packington Hall Farm. |
| Tamworth | A tightly bounded borough whose plan looked to neighbouring areas for 1,825 homes. |
| Cannock and Rugeley | The former Rugeley Power Station is allocated for mixed use in the new plan, and 500 homes are planned for the wider housing market area. |
| Stafford and Stone | Strategic development locations on three sides of Stafford and at Stone, and a new plan to 2045. |
| Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme | New and emerging plans to 2040 for both. |
What This Means for Your Land
Strong delivery scores hide a shortage of deliverable land. Where a council is short, a well placed field outside the Green Belt can make its case now; where not, the plan is the route:
- Evidenced need in Stoke-on-Trent. With delivery below 75%, unmet need is treated as evidenced under policy S5 for land well related to a settlement and served by infrastructure.
- Supply shortfalls elsewhere. In Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth, Lichfield and South Staffordshire outside the Green Belt, the shortfall is evidence of unmet need to be weighed under S5, not an automatic finding.
- Grey belt. In South Staffordshire, Lichfield and Stoke-on-Trent, Green Belt fields that contribute little to checking sprawl or separating towns may qualify, with the Golden Rules on larger schemes.
- Inside settlements. Policy S4 approves homes within built-up areas unless the harm would substantially outweigh the benefits.
- The new plans. South Staffordshire, Lichfield and Stafford are at an early stage of new-style plans, and early stages are when sites are gathered. Our guide to calls for sites and local plans explains each step.
- Previously developed land. Former pits, power station land, works and yards, which national policy supports reusing; see our brownfield and yards page.
- Council position
- Delivery at 149%, but a supply of 1.95 years
- Constraints
- Outside the Green Belt, within 15km of Cannock Chase, a brook along one side in Flood Zone 3
- Likely route
- An outline application under policy S5 with the heathland contribution secured, and the land also put forward to the new plan
- Your costs
- None. Every planning cost, including any appeal, is paid by us
- What we would offer
- An option agreement at a price agreed at the start and paid on completion once permission is secured, with all planning costs paid for you
An illustration of how we think about a site, not a real offer. Every site is different, and our free desktop review looks at the specific field.
The same field over the boundary in Cannock Chase would take a different path, as that council shows five years of land under a plan adopted in 2026, which is why we judge each site on its own facts.
Questions About Staffordshire
My land is a few miles from Cannock Chase. Can it still be developed?
Yes, in principle. Homes within 15km of the protected area need mitigation, in practice a set contribution for each new home: a cost we allow for, not a bar.
South Staffordshire is short of land, but my field is Green Belt. Does the shortfall help?
Not through policy S5, which does not apply in the Green Belt. It does supply the need that grey belt homes require, so a field that does little to check sprawl or keep places apart can make a grey belt case.
I put land forward to South Staffordshire years ago. Is it still on file?
Not for the new plan. The council has said earlier site suggestions will not be carried forward, so land must be put forward again.
Does Tamworth's shortage help my land in Lichfield district near Tamworth?
Supply is measured council by council, so Lichfield's own position counts, and that is short of five years too. Its 2024 consultation also recognised a duty to help councils in its housing market area that cannot meet their own needs.
Will reorganisation change who decides my application?
Not for now. The move to two unitary councils is on hold for a review, and the existing councils keep deciding.
What price will you pay for my land?
We agree a fixed price with you at the start, before any planning work begins, and it is set above what your land is worth today. We cannot name a figure before we have looked at your land, because it depends on the site itself: its size, its access, how many homes it could take and the costs that come off land value, such as affordable housing, road works and drainage. After the free desktop review we can talk about a price, and once agreed it is written into the agreement.
When would I be paid?
You receive the agreed price on completion, once planning permission has been secured. The agreement sets out the milestones along the way, and it continues while any planning application or appeal is being decided. Until completion you carry on using your land as you do now, and we pay for all of the planning. If permission is not granted, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Tell Us About Your Land in Staffordshire
It takes about two minutes. We only need your postcode, your name and a phone number or email; the rest helps us look properly.
- We reply within 2 working days, by phone or email, whichever you prefer.
- The desktop review is free and confidential, with no obligation.
- If we agree terms, we pay for all of the planning, which on a larger site can reach £300,000.
Sources
- East Staffordshire Borough Council: Note on 5 Year Land Supply Methodology, position at 30 September 2025 (January 2026)
- GOV.UK: Housing Delivery Test, 2025 measurement
- Planning Inspectorate: Local plans, monitoring progress
- Stafford Borough Council: Devolution and local government reorganisation (September 2026)
- South Staffordshire Council: Core Strategy (December 2012)
- South Staffordshire Council: Schedule of proposed main modifications SST/ED60 (April 2026)
- South Staffordshire Council: Scoping consultation and call for sites (June 2026)
- Lichfield District Council: Local Plan 2043 Issues and Options (October 2024)
- Lichfield District Council: New local plan call for sites (September 2026)
- Lichfield District Council: Planning obligations and Special Areas of Conservation (April 2026)
- Tamworth Borough Council: Five-year housing land supply 2025 to 2030
- Cannock Chase District Council: Local Plan 2018 to 2040, adoption version (March 2026)
- Stafford Borough Council: Statement of Five Year Housing Land Supply at 31 March 2026
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council: Green Belt Assessment, Part 4 (May 2026)
- Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council: Planning policy latest news (August 2026)
- East Staffordshire Borough Council: Local Plan 2012 to 2031 (2023 review)
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council: Adopted Local Plan 2014 to 2033 (September 2020)
Figures on this page come from the Housing Delivery Test 2025 (published 17 August 2026) and the Planning Inspectorate's local plan monitoring to August 2026, with newer plan milestones checked on 24 September 2026. We update the page when new results or plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.
Other Counties We Cover
24 counties, 159 councils
45 of those councils are below 75% in the government's Housing Delivery Test 2025. Point to a county to see its figures.