What value is my land for housing DEVELOPMENT IN 2026 ?

As at mid-2026 we are seeing plot values (a 'plot' is the piece of land the housebuilder builds one house on - and you can normally get between 12 to 15 plots on one acre of developable land) of :

£80,000 to £100,000 or more : Home Counties (all around London M25 + Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and good parts of Wiltshire, Hampshire.

£65,000 to £80,000 or more : Midlands and good parts of the south-west and East Anglia.

£350,000 to £50,000 a plot : Lower value areas - so for example Wolverhampton, Scotland, Wales, Mid Norfolk/Suffolk or perhaps Herefordshire, Cornwall - this must ALWAYS be taken with a pinch of salt as everyoine knows there are some very expensive areas within Scotrland, Wales etc.

The really positive thing is that after a good start to 2026, ther Iran Conflict put a dampener on the housing and land sector which many no expect to come back strongly in late 2026 and into 2027, 2028, 2029.

Councils across the country are under pressure to provide a reliable '5 years housing land supply' as well as having a proper 'Local Plan' which allows development to be properly provided and planned.

Many of these Councils are failing to do this and therefore the opportunities for landowners and developers and land promoters to secure valuable planning permissions is currentrly very good.

If you have more than 8 to 10 acres of land which you want to develop then you MUST only do a deal with a land promoter. DO NOT do enter into an Option Agreement.

Remember, for larger sites and in terms of land value :

Land Promoters = Usually a GOOD DEAL (full 'market tested' sale)
PLC Housbuilders = Often a BAD DEAL (they dictate the land price)

Lastly, if you have 10 acres of land then that is your 'gross' acreage. The actual area of land you will be able to have developed will be a 'net' acreage of perhaps 6 to 7 acres, so always work out your land values by taking around 70% of your gross acreage and then multiply that by the number of plots per acre (say, 15 near to towns and built up areas and 12 in a rural village) :

10 acres site (gross acreage)

7 acres developable (net acreage)

Land value is therefore 7 acres x 15 plots to the acre = 105 plots.

105 houses in the Home Counties = £100,000 x 105 = £10,500,000.

105 houses in 'normal/lower' areas of the Midlands = £50,000 x 15 
= £5,250,000.

Do no be too disappointed at these values as when a good land promotion has been done for you and your family then if the econoimic 'cycle' is positive and you get competitive bidding for your land with planning it can sometimes be worth TWICE as much as the figures above.

YES. True and rather amazing !

Best wishes to all landowners for 2026 and beyond,

John

John Holland
Landsite
www.landsite.co.uk
Mobile : 07971 389985
Office : 01527 328401

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