Surrey council area
Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell
Checked on
Epsom and Ewell is the smallest borough in Surrey, and it built only a third of the homes it needed. Its replacement for the 2007 Core Strategy is close to the finish, and the inspector has asked for more land, including four Green Belt sites.
- 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 with development potential in Epsom and Ewell and welcome land of every kind there: fields and paddocks, inherited land, old yards and larger holdings.
Epsom and Ewell built only 33% of the homes it needed in the government's latest count, and below 75% national policy treats the need for more homes as shown. It can also show only 1.49 years of the five years of housing land national policy expects. So a well placed field next to a town or village can make its case now, not only through the local plan, though each site is judged on its merits. Land in the Green Belt faces stricter national tests. Its local plan dates from July 2007, and a new one was submitted for examination in March 2025.
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.
The Land We Buy in Epsom and Ewell
- Land of an acre or more on the edge of Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh or Worcester Park.
- Parcels of Green Belt already enclosed by roads, housing or institutional buildings.
- Former institutional, commercial or equestrian sites with lawful buildings or hardstanding.
- Land within a short walk of a railway station with a frequent service.
- Large gardens and backland plots inside the built-up area where several homes could fit.
Many of the opportunities in this borough are small by county standards, and that is not a problem for us. Our page on paddocks and small sites explains how we approach them. If your land is part of a site the inspector has proposed to add, we can explain what the modifications mean for it and what happens next.
Is Your Land in Epsom and Ewell a Good Fit?
You do not need to know the planning rules to sell land for development in Epsom and Ewell. These are the things that make a site a strong candidate:
- It sits next to, or is well related to, an existing town or village.
- A safe access onto a public road is possible, even if it needs work.
- Most of the land is outside the highest flood risk zone.
- It is not covered by a strong designation such as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- It is about 2 acres or more, or part of a larger holding.
- Everyone who owns it is willing to consider one clear, agreed price.
If your land does not tick every box, ask anyway. Many of the sites we take on have a problem to solve, whether that is access, drainage, a tenancy or an awkward boundary, and solving those problems is our job.
Ways to Sell Your Land in Epsom and Ewell
There are three common ways to sell land with development potential in Epsom and Ewell. They suit different owners, and the right one depends on whether your land needs planning permission before it is worth more.
- An outright sale. You sell the land as it stands today, privately or at auction. The price is what a buyer will pay for it without planning permission, and the buyer takes on everything that follows.
- A conditional contract. You agree a sale now, but it only completes if planning permission is granted. Until then you keep the land, and the agreement sets out who applies for permission and who pays.
- An option agreement, the route we use. We agree your price at the start, in writing, set above what your land is worth today. We then pay for and run all of the planning work, at our own cost and risk. If permission is granted, we complete the purchase and you receive the agreed price on completion. If it is not, you keep your land and owe nothing.
For land that needs planning permission before it is worth more, an option means you know your price before any work starts and never spend a penny on planning. The ways to sell land for development, compared sets out each route in full.
Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell: From First Call to Completion
Selling land for development under an option agreement follows the same steps wherever your land is.
- A first conversation. You call us or send the form on this page. We need only your postcode, your name and a phone number or email.
- A free desktop review. Within a few days we look at your land, the planning position in Epsom and Ewell and the routes open to it, and tell you plainly whether it suits us. The review is free and confidential, with no obligation.
- Heads of terms and the option agreement. If it suits, we agree a price with you in writing, then the option agreement itself. We contribute to your solicitor's and land agent's fees, so it costs you nothing to get it done properly.
- The planning work, at our cost. We pay for the surveys, the design, the planning application and any appeal. You carry on farming, grazing or letting the land as you do now.
- Completion. If planning permission is granted, we complete the purchase and you receive the agreed price on completion. If it is not, you keep your land and owe nothing.
How selling land for development works, step by step gives the detail of each stage and how long it usually takes.
What the Local Plan Means If You Are Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell
Three things shape the chances of selling land for development in Epsom and Ewell: the government's latest count of homes built against those needed, the council's five-year housing land supply, and where its local plan stands.
Housing Delivery Test 2025
33%
Below 75%: treated as having evidenced unmet housing need under national policy S5.
Five-year housing land supply
1.49 years
Short of five years: national policy treats this as evidence of unmet housing need. Position at 1 April 2025, measured against the standard method, 867 homes a year, plus a 20% buffer. Stated by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, as the lower end of its stated range of 1.49 to 1.53 years.
Checked sourceHomes built against homes needed
567
of 1,718 needed, April 2022 to March 2025
Most recent strategic plan adopted
July 2007
More than five years old, so its housing figures are usually replaced by the government's standard method.
New plan progress
Submitted for examination
As at March 2025.
See how Epsom and Ewell compares with the other 187 councils we cover
Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.
The planning detail in full
Surrey's Smallest, Most Crowded Borough
The council's 2024 flood risk assessment gives the borough an area of 3,407 hectares and a population of 80,900 at the 2021 Census, and its Green Belt topic paper calls it the smallest borough in Surrey with the highest density. Epsom town centre and Ewell village sit at its heart, with Stoneleigh and Worcester Park towards the London boundary. The same flood assessment describes chalk in the south east of the borough and clay, silt, sand and gravel to the north west, and notes that most of the open land is Metropolitan Green Belt because the borough sits on the urban fringe of Greater London.
- Joint lowest delivery in Surrey. In the Housing Delivery Test 2025 the council delivered 33% of its requirement, level with Spelthorne.
- 42% Green Belt. That is the council's own figure, given when it described the borough as "just 13 square miles".
- A 2007 Core Strategy. It remains the borough's strategic plan while a replacement is examined.
- A new plan at examination. The Epsom and Ewell Local Plan 2022 to 2040 was submitted on 10 March 2025 and has reached the main modifications stage.
- East Surrey from April 2027. The borough will be part of the new East Surrey Council.
Because the borough is so tightly drawn, almost every piece of land of any size is either already built on or in the Green Belt. That makes the new plan, and the inspector's changes to it, more important here than almost anywhere else in the county.
What the Inspector's Changes Mean for Land for Sale in Epsom and Ewell
The council's Local Plan FAQs explain that the plan uses the older standard method figure of 569 homes a year, because it was approved for publication before the national framework changed on 12 December 2024. Its Green Belt topic paper turns that into 10,242 homes over the plan period and says only 32% of that need can be met on urban sites. In its response to the government's 2024 consultation, the council said the proposed new method would raise the figure from 570 to 817 homes a year.
On that evidence the submitted plan released some Green Belt. The topic paper describes Horton Farm for about 1,250 homes, 10 gypsy and traveller pitches and a public park of about 7 hectares, and Hook Road Arena as a new sports hub with about 100 homes on the eastern part, alongside land at West Park. It calls the release "just 3.36% of the borough's greenfield Green Belt". Hearings ran between 28 August and 10 October 2025, followed by requests for more evidence, a further consultation that opened on 11 May 2026 and an additional hearing on 2 July 2026.
What the Inspector Has Proposed
The inspector's recommended main modifications, reported in September 2026, would add 16 allocations, 12 in the urban area and four in the Green Belt. The Green Belt additions are Priest Hill for at least 275 homes with some commercial and community space, Downs Farm north of College Road for at least 530 homes with an employment hub and a specialist school, a care home of at least 70 bedrooms at Cuddington Glade, and at least 45 homes on land off Cuddington Glade. Identified supply would rise from 4,914 to 6,052 homes and the minimum requirement from 4,700 to 6,012, stepped at around 152 homes a year to 2025/26 and 386 a year from 2026/27. On specified Green Belt sites, affordable housing would rise from the submitted 40% to at least 50%.
Why Priest Hill Was Out in 2024 and in Now
Anyone reading the council's December 2024 Green Belt topic paper will find Land at Priest Hill assessed for 250 to 350 homes and rejected, with the council concluding that it did "not exhibit Exceptional Circumstances" for moving the Green Belt boundary. The inspector now proposes it. The two positions are not a contradiction so much as a change of judge. The council was deciding which sites it needed to reach its own figure, while the inspector has to be satisfied the plan is sound, and a requirement of 6,012 homes against assessed need of 10,242 leaves little room to set aside a site that can deliver. For a landowner the lesson is plain: a council's rejection at the drafting stage is not the final word.
The council's Licensing and Planning Policy Committee considered the changes on 22 September 2026 and voted 6 to 3 to recommend that Full Council authorise a public consultation of at least six weeks, with dates still to be confirmed. The inspector issues a final report once that consultation has closed. Until the plan is adopted, the 2007 Core Strategy, the council's other adopted policies and national policy decide applications.
If you own one of the Green Belt sites the inspector has added, a sale has to allow for the higher affordable share those sites would carry, and we cost that before any price is agreed.
What a 33% Result Means If You Are Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell
A score this low means the borough is treated as having evidenced unmet housing need. The unmet need route in policy S5 does not apply to Green Belt land, and there is very little countryside here that is not Green Belt, so the score does its work in other ways:
- Inside the built-up area. Policy S4 supports development inside settlements unless the harm substantially outweighs the benefits. Large gardens, backland, garages and older commercial buildings in Epsom, Ewell and Stoneleigh are all candidates. The council lists an Epsom Town Centre Masterplan in the plan's evidence, which owners of older town centre premises should read.
- Grey belt on the edges. Parcels on the edge of the built-up area that play little part in the Green Belt's purposes can be grey belt. The inspector's decision to add four Green Belt sites shows how much weight the need for homes now carries in this borough.
- Previously developed land. The council's Hospital Cluster conservation area takes in Horton, Long Grove, The Manor, St Ebba's and West Park, and the topic paper describes West Park as a former hospital site redeveloped as a largely residential area where some clinical uses remain. Buildings and hardstanding with a lawful use have their own routes under Green Belt policy.
On any Green Belt parcel here the Golden Rules add a higher affordable housing share and new or improved public green space, and the proposed modifications show the inspector expects at least 50% affordable homes on the Green Belt sites being added. That is the benchmark we cost in from our first review. Our grey belt guide explains the tests.
Selling Land Near the Commons, Conservation Areas and the Hogsmill
| Feature | How it affects nearby land |
|---|---|
| Epsom Common | A Site of Special Scientific Interest. In its topic paper the council lists SSSIs among the constraints that would effectively preclude development, and flagged proximity to the SSSI as a possible concern for sites next to the Common. |
| The Hogsmill River | The council's flood assessment names it the main river through the borough, with its source in Ewell village, and treats it as the main source of river flooding. Horton Stream, Green Lanes Stream and Ewell Court Stream are smaller watercourses. See our flood risk guide. |
| Surface water | The same assessment names parts of Epsom Town Centre, Ewell Town Centre, Stoneleigh and Worcester Park as at notably higher risk, so drainage design matters on urban plots as much as on fields. |
| 21 conservation areas | They include Epsom Town Centre, Ewell Village, Stamford Green, Woodcote, Church Street and the Hospital Cluster, and they shape the height, layout and materials of schemes nearby. |
| Chalk in the south east | The flood assessment notes that chalk is highly permeable and carries groundwater, which affects how surface water can be handled on higher ground. |
Biodiversity net gain applies here too, and on small, well-vegetated plots the ecology survey can matter as much as the layout. We cover the ecology work and any off-site units a scheme needs. Our guide to biodiversity net gain explains the rules.
On a small plot in Stoneleigh or Worcester Park, drainage and ecology can be the two reports that decide whether a sale goes ahead, and we pay for both.
When to Sell Land in Epsom and Ewell, in the Months Before April 2027
Three steps stand between the borough and a plan that replaces the 2007 Core Strategy: a consultation of at least six weeks on the main modifications, once Full Council has authorised it, the inspector's final report, and a council vote to adopt. The handover date is the fixed point around them. East Surrey Council, whose members were elected in May 2026, takes over plan-making on 1 April 2027, so if the report or the vote runs past that day, the decision to adopt passes to a council that did not prepare the plan.
The delivery test runs alongside on its own yearly cycle. The most recent result, the Housing Delivery Test 2025, was released on 17 August 2026 and counted 567 homes over three years. That leaves the borough a long way under the 75% line, and one year of building would struggle to bridge a gap that size. The more telling number is in the modifications. From 2026/27 the inspector's stepped requirement asks for 386 homes a year, more than double the figure for the early years, and that only works if the added sites start quickly. If they are slow, the plan's own figure will show the shortfall and the unmet need argument returns.
The council's own supply figure shows how wide the gap is today. Its Authority Monitoring Report for 2024 to 2025 counts 1,551 to 1,602 deliverable homes against a five-year requirement of 5,202, which is the standard method's 867 homes a year plus a 20% buffer set by the 2022 delivery result. It states the result as a range, from 1.49 years at the lower end to 1.53 years, measured at 1 April 2025, the spread reflecting how many sites in its land availability assessment prove deliverable. Adoption would normally change the yardstick to the plan's own stepped requirement, well below 867 a year, with the added sites counting towards supply, so the first statement after adoption will be measured on a different basis. That basis would carry a 20% buffer when applications are decided, under a rule in force since 1 July 2026 for plans under five years old that were tested against pre-December 2024 national policy and set a figure no higher than 80% of the standard method. At 386 a year against 867, this plan sits well under that line. Until then, a supply this short and a delivery result of 33% are two separate measures of the need that national policy asks a grey belt housing scheme to show.
For owners, the months until April 2027 are a period with known rules: an old Core Strategy, a delivery result of 33%, and a plan not yet adopted. After that, a new council and, if adoption goes ahead, a new plan change the backdrop together. We look at how ready each site is now, rather than waiting to see how the handover goes, and we carry the cost of that preparation.
Questions About Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell
Does it help to be right next to one of the proposed new Green Belt sites?
It can. Once a neighbouring site is allocated, the Green Belt boundary and the character of the edge change, which can alter how your own land performs. It is not automatic, and we look at the relationship on the ground.
The plan is nearly finished. Is it too late to put my land forward?
For this plan, the list of sites is now largely set by the inspector. The new East Surrey Council will prepare its own plan in time, and some sites come forward sooner through applications under national policy, particularly previously developed land and grey belt.
Will adopting the new plan make it harder to get permission on unallocated land?
An adopted plan with a supply of sites carries more weight, so applications on unallocated land need a stronger case. Until then, the borough's low delivery result and old Core Strategy both feature in decisions.
Does sitting inside the Hospital Cluster conservation area rule a site out altogether?
No. A conservation area governs how a scheme looks and sits among the historic buildings rather than whether homes are allowed, and parts of the former hospital estates have already been turned into housing. The design evidence simply has to be stronger, and we pay for it.
Is a large garden in Ewell really the kind of land you would consider for homes?
Sometimes, where several homes could fit and there is a safe access. Inside the built-up area, national policy is supportive, and our review will tell you whether the site is big enough to be worth the planning work.
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.
More Questions Landowners Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell Ask
The same questions come up wherever land is put forward. Each is answered in full in our guides, and where Epsom and Ewell stands on housing shapes which matter most here.
Land Agreements · 21 min read
A Land Company Has Written to Me About My Field. What Does It Mean?
Why land companies, promoters and housebuilders write to landowners, how each model works, what replying commits you to, and what the letter does not mean.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Tax and Valuation · 23 min read
How the Price for Your Land Is Worked Out in an Option Agreement
How land is valued: existing use, hope and planning value, how many homes a field can take, what a desktop review checks and what a fixed price protects.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Land Agreements · 23 min read
My Neighbour Owns the Next Field. Can We Put Our Land Forward Together?
How neighbouring landowners put land forward together: collaboration and equalisation agreements, land pooling, tax points, and the simpler separate route.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Land Agreements · 22 min read
Should I Sell My Land With or Without Planning Permission First?
Selling land as it is, subject to planning, or after getting planning yourself: what each really involves in cost, time and risk, and which suits a field.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Land Agreements · 23 min read
Selling Land for Development, Step by Step: From First Thought to Completion
How selling land for development works, stage by stage: title checks, a free review, heads of terms, the agreement, planning, completion and tax.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Land Agreements · 20 min read
Who Pays the Fees in a Land Deal: Solicitors, Agents, Surveys and Planning
Who pays the solicitor, land agent, surveys, planning fees, stamp duty and VAT when you sell land to a developer, model by model, with 2026 figures.
Subhan Property Group · Updated 5 November 2026
Selling Land in Epsom and Ewell? Tell Us About It
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.
More in Surrey
County overview
Selling Land in Surrey
Sell land for development in Surrey: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Neighbouring council · Homes built: 102% of need
Selling Land in Reigate and Banstead
Sell land in Reigate and Banstead. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price up front. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Neighbouring council · Homes built: 72% of need
Selling Land in Mole Valley
Sell land for development in Mole Valley: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 102% of need
Selling Land in Guildford
Sell land in Guildford, near Ash. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 98% of need
Selling Land in Surrey Heath
Sell land for development in Surrey Heath: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 117% of need
Selling Land in Waverley
Sell land in Waverley, near Farnham. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 97% of need
Selling Land in Woking
Sell land in Woking, near Knaphill. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 59% of need
Selling Land in Elmbridge
Sell land for development in Elmbridge: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 33% of need
Selling Land in Spelthorne
Sell land for development in Spelthorne: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 38% of need
Selling Land in Tandridge
Sell land for development in Tandridge: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 94% of need
Selling Land in Runnymede
Sell land for development in Runnymede: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Sources
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Local Plan examination
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Local Plan FAQs
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Green Belt topic paper, exceptional circumstances (December 2024)
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (September 2024)
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Conservation areas
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Response to the national planning policy consultation
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: Authority Monitoring Report 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, appendix 1
- Planning Geek: Epsom Local Plan, inspector proposes 16 extra allocations (updated 24 September 2026)
- Surrey-i: Two new unitary councils for Surrey
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.