Surrey council area
Selling Land in Waverley
Checked on
Waverley passed the government's delivery test with 117%, yet its latest statement finds only 1.28 years of housing land, because its 2018 strategy is now measured against a need of 1,481 homes a year rather than 590. The Dunsfold Park garden village, the plan's largest site, is left out of that supply, and the council is gathering sites for a new plan to 2044.
- 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 Waverley and welcome land of every kind there: fields and paddocks, inherited land, old yards and larger holdings.
Waverley can show 1.28 years of housing land, short of the five years national policy expects. That shortfall is evidence of need which decisions must weigh, so a well placed field next to a town or village can make a case outside the local plan. It is not a guarantee. Land in the Green Belt faces stricter national tests. Its local plan dates from February 2018, more than five years ago.
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 Waverley
- Land in the countryside beyond the Green Belt that sits well against Cranleigh or one of the villages.
- Plots and backland inside Chiddingfold, Elstead, Milford and Witley, which Part 1 took out of the Green Belt.
- Green Belt parcels enclosed by homes, roads or the railway that may count as grey belt.
- Plots, yards and larger gardens inside the settlement boundaries of Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere and Cranleigh.
- Open land near Farnham that could provide SANG for new homes nearby.
- Holdings of any size able to take five or more homes, for the new Local Plan.
Many of the best opportunities here are modest, as our page on paddocks and small sites explains. We pay for all of the planning under an option at a price agreed at the start, above the land's value today. If permission is not granted, you keep the land and owe us nothing.
Is Your Land in Waverley a Good Fit?
You do not need to know the planning rules to sell land for development in Waverley. 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 Waverley
There are three common ways to sell land with development potential in Waverley. 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 Waverley: 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 Waverley 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 Waverley
Three things shape the chances of selling land for development in Waverley: 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
117%
Meeting its housing requirement.
Five-year housing land supply
1.28 years
Short of five years: national policy treats this as evidence of unmet housing need. Position at 1 April 2024, measured against the standard method, 1,481 homes a year, plus a 5% buffer. Stated by Waverley Borough Council.
Checked sourceHomes built against homes needed
2,382
of 2,036 needed, April 2022 to March 2025
Most recent strategic plan adopted
February 2018
More than five years old, so its housing figures are usually replaced by the government's standard method.
New plan progress
Latest step
New Local Plan started: call for sites to 7 October 2026, adoption aimed for January 2029
Checked source
See how Waverley 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
Farnham to Cranleigh, Beneath the Surrey Hills
Waverley Borough Council covers the towns of Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere and the large village of Cranleigh, which its plan groups as the communities with key services. Below them come the communities with local services: Hindhead and Beacon Hill, Bramley, Milford, Elstead, Witley and Chiddingfold. The plan describes a borough of around 345 square kilometres in the south west corner of Surrey.
- Rural almost everywhere. The adopted plan describes about 92% of the borough as rural: 61% is Metropolitan Green Belt and a further 31% is designated countryside beyond the Green Belt.
- Landscape on top of that. The same plan records that 77% of the countryside is Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (the Surrey Hills, now called a National Landscape), Area of Great Landscape Value, or both.
- Two railway lines and the A3. Farnham is on the Alton line, Farncombe, Godalming, Milford, Witley and Haslemere on the London to Portsmouth line, and the A3 passes through the Hindhead Tunnel.
- A plan in two parts. Local Plan Part 1, the strategy, was adopted in February 2018. Part 2, with site allocations and detailed policies, followed on 21 March 2023.
- Building above target. The Housing Delivery Test 2025 counted 2,382 homes, with 2,036 as the requirement, a result of 117%.
That score is not the whole story here. The supply position, and the designation covering a field, matter far more.
Why Waverley Is Short of Land: From 590 Homes a Year to 1,481
Part 1 plans for at least 11,210 homes between 2013 and 2032, or 590 a year: 507 for Waverley's own need and 83 towards half of the unmet need of neighbouring Woking. Once that strategy turned five, national policy required supply to be tested against the government's standard method instead. The council's latest statement, published in January 2025 with a base date of 1 April 2024, sets out what that did:
| Part of the calculation | Council's figure |
|---|---|
| Yearly need used | 1,481 homes, the standard method |
| Five years of need | 7,405 homes |
| Buffer | 5%, or 370 homes, reflecting the delivery test result then in force |
| Five-year requirement | 7,775 homes |
| Deliverable supply | 1,998 homes: 452 on sites of fewer than ten homes, 1,155 on larger sites, 247 with a resolution to grant and 144 windfalls |
| Result | 1.28 years |
The gap is 5,777 homes. In a statement of common ground signed in January 2025 for an appeal at Scotland Park, Haslemere, the council and the appellant agreed the same 1.28 years, and that the council "cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply" on either the previous or the current standard method. The council's supply page, updated in September 2026, still lists the January 2025 statement as its latest.
Two Measures That Point in Opposite Directions
The delivery test looks back at homes built over April 2022 to March 2025. The supply statement looks forward, against a need far above Part 1's, and it is the forward measure that carries weight in decisions here.
How Far the Shortfall Reaches When You Sell a Field in Waverley
National policy, as revised in August 2026, treats a shortfall against five years as evidence of unmet need, to be weighed with everything else rather than decisive. How much it counts in Waverley depends on the layer a site falls into:
- Inside a settlement boundary. Part 2's policy DM13 accepts development in principle within the boundaries on its policies map, except in settlements washed over by the Green Belt, and national policy S4 says such schemes should be approved unless the harm would substantially outweigh the benefits.
- Countryside beyond the Green Belt. Nearly a third of the borough is countryside outside the Green Belt. Here policy S5 can support homes on land well related to a settlement and served by roads, schools and drainage that can cope, and a supply of 1.28 years is the evidence of need that S5 looks for.
- Villages taken out of the Green Belt. Part 1 removed Chiddingfold, Elstead, Milford and Witley from the Green Belt and widened their boundaries a little, so plots inside those boundaries are judged as land within a settlement.
- Grey belt. S5 does not reach the 61% that is Green Belt. There, land playing only a weak part in the Green Belt's purposes may be grey belt, and this supply position shows the need for homes that grey belt housing requires. Larger schemes must then meet the Golden Rules, as our grey belt guide explains.
- Inside the Surrey Hills. Major development in a National Landscape needs exceptional circumstances whatever the housing numbers say, so the shortfall helps least here.
That is why the first thing we establish for an owner selling land in Waverley is which of those five layers the field sits in, because the same shortfall can count for a great deal in one and very little in another.
Dunsfold Park: 2,600 Homes Uncounted, and What It Means for Other Land
Part 1's policy ALH1 shares its homes across four main settlements and one new community:
| Place | Homes in Part 1 |
|---|---|
| Farnham | 2,780 |
| Dunsfold Aerodrome (new settlement, policy SS7) | 2,600 |
| Cranleigh | 1,700 |
| Godalming | 1,520 |
| Haslemere | 990 |
Among the villages, Witley with Milford takes 480, Chiddingfold 130 and Bramley 90. Dunsfold carries almost a quarter of the plan's total, so its progress bears directly on the supply figures:
- March 2018. The Secretary of State granted outline permission for 1,800 homes, a school and an expanded business park, as the first phase of around 2,600.
- 2019 and 2022. The site gained garden village status in June 2019, and in February 2022 the council adopted a supplementary planning document covering its masterplan framework and design codes.
- March 2026. The council's page on the site records that Trinity College, the owner, is seeking to dispose of it to a new owner.
Inspectors at recent appeals discounted the site from the supply, and the council now leaves it out altogether "until there is more certainty about the timescales". In the meantime, larger schemes elsewhere are being tested at appeal, such as up to 400 homes at Alfold Crossways.
Each home taken out of the supply at Dunsfold is one the council has to find elsewhere, which is the plainest reason land in the villages around Cranleigh is being tested now.
Selling Land Near Farnham, Where the Only SANG Had Room for 16 More Homes
The Thames Basin Heaths and SANG
Only about 80 hectares of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area lie in Waverley, north of Farnham, but its 5 kilometre zone of influence takes in most of the town. New homes in the band closest to the heath, within 400 metres, are presumed unacceptable. Further out, up to 5 kilometres, new homes must either provide Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) or contribute to an existing one, and also pay towards strategic access management and monitoring (SAMM) on the heath.
The council describes Farnham Park as Waverley's only current SANG. On 1 January 2026 it recorded a capacity of 2,184 homes, 2,168 already allocated to permissions, and 16 left. It says it will refuse applications once capacity runs out unless the applicant secures SANG elsewhere, so open land that could serve as SANG has a planning role of its own. The council's call for sites asks for exactly that, alongside land for biodiversity net gain offsetting.
The Wealden Heaths
Two further protected heathland sites lie in the borough: Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons, which make up Phase I of the Wealden Heaths Special Protection Area, and Hindhead Commons, part of Phase II. The plan protects both, so homes near them need their effects assessed early.
Waverley, With New Sites, an Appeal and a Plan to 2044: When to Sell Land
New land is being sought first. The call for sites runs from 26 August to 7 October 2026. It takes land for five or more homes, and for SANG, biodiversity offsetting, infrastructure and renewable energy. It is meant for new sites. The land availability assessment published on 12 August 2026, using information to 1 April 2026, identifies land that "may have potential to be considered for future development through the Local Plan process".
The new Local Plan will guide development until 2044, with Parts 1 and 2 in force until it is adopted. The council agreed its timetable on 2 June 2026, and after a scoping consultation in June and July the next stages are:
| Stage | Council's date |
|---|---|
| Gateway 1 checkpoint | 23 October 2026 |
| Proposed plan contents consultation | 8 February to 22 March 2027 |
| Gateway 2 checkpoint | 18 October 2027 |
| Proposed Local Plan consultation | 6 March to 1 May 2028 |
| Submission for examination | 14 August 2028 |
| Adoption | 31 January 2029 |
The February 2027 consultation is likely to be the first to show which land the council favours, so evidence is best prepared over winter 2026/27. Our guide to local plan stages sets out what happens at each one.
The Alfold Crossways Decision, and a Standard Method Yardstick
An inquiry sat in August 2026 on an appeal by Thakeham Homes and the Merchant Seamans War Memorial Society for up to 400 homes south of Dunsfold Road, Alfold Crossways, brought after the council did not decide the outline application in time. The council's appeal page showed no decision in mid-September, and the reasoning on supply will be read closely around Cranleigh.
Beyond the appeal, the supply sums matter. While Part 1 is more than five years old, the standard method remains the supply yardstick. The Housing Delivery Test 2025 was published on 17 August 2026, and at 117% none of the test's consequences applies; a result under 95% would bring an action plan, under 85% a 20% buffer and under 75% a finding of unmet need under S5. On 7 September 2026 the government confirmed that Surrey's reorganisation is unaffected by its review, with East and West Surrey going live in April 2027, so the later stages of this timetable will fall to a new unitary council rather than Waverley.
Edge and Grey Belt Land Now, Larger Holdings Into the Call for Sites
- Land outside the Green Belt, inside settlements or plausibly grey belt can be looked at now, while the shortfall stands.
- Larger holdings belong in the call for sites before 7 October, with evidence built up for February 2027.
- Near Farnham, the SANG route has to be settled before anything else.
Questions About Selling Land in Waverley
My field is outside the Green Belt, next to a village. Does a supply of 1.28 years help?
It can. Outside the Green Belt, policy S5 supports homes on land that sits well against a settlement with services that can cope, and the shortfall is the evidence of need it asks for. Landscape, access and the heaths still have to be answered first.
Should I put my land into the call for sites before 7 October?
If it could take five or more homes, or could serve as SANG or biodiversity offsetting land, yes. It is the route into the new plan, and we can prepare the submission at our cost.
What does Farnham Park running out of SANG mean for land I own near Farnham?
Homes within 5 kilometres of the heath need SANG mitigation, and the council's own SANG had room for only 16 more in January 2026. A scheme can instead provide its own SANG, on site or elsewhere, and open land well placed for walkers may serve as SANG for homes nearby.
Dunsfold's owner is looking to sell. Does that change anything for my land?
Not directly. The council leaves Dunsfold out of its supply until the timescale for homes there is clearer, which keeps the shortfall where it is. A new owner with a firm start date could change that, so we watch it closely.
Should land that was put forward to the council years ago be submitted again now?
Usually not. The council asks owners not to resubmit land it already knows about unless the information about it has changed significantly. If yours has changed, or has never been submitted, the window to 7 October is the moment, and we can check which applies.
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 Waverley Ask
The same questions come up wherever land is put forward. Each is answered in full in our guides, and where Waverley 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Selling Land in Waverley? 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.
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Neighbouring Councils Beyond Surrey
- ChichesterWest Sussex · 4.52 years of housing land
- East HampshireHampshire · 2.9 years of housing land
- HartHampshire · 2.07 years of housing land
- HorshamWest Sussex · 1.7 years of housing land
- RushmoorHampshire · 4.74 years of housing land
Sources
- Waverley Borough Council: Local Plan Part 1, Strategic Policies and Sites (adopted February 2018)
- Waverley Borough Council: Local Plan Part 2, Site Allocations and Development Management Policies (adopted March 2023)
- Waverley Borough Council: Five Year Housing Land Supply Position Statement, base date 1 April 2024 (January 2025)
- Waverley Borough Council: Five year housing land supply (September 2026)
- Waverley Borough Council: Housing land supply statement of common ground, Scotland Park appeal (January 2025)
- Waverley Borough Council: New Local Plan (2026)
- Waverley Borough Council: Local Plan timetable (June 2026)
- Waverley Borough Council: Call for Sites (2026)
- Waverley Borough Council: Dunsfold Park Garden Village (March 2026)
- Waverley Borough Council: Thames Basin Heaths SPA and Farnham Park SANG
- Waverley Borough Council: Appeal inquiry, land south of Dunsfold Road, Alfold Crossways (September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Review of local government reorganisation launched (7 September 2026)
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.