Small Parcels of Land

The Council usually does not have land available for sale.

If you are seeking land to build your own property, read our information on the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Register where you can register your interest. Council land or property to be sold which does not meet this policy will be marketed through estate agents or other property businesses.

The Disposal of Small Parcels of Housing Land Policy sets out Colchester Borough Councils approach to the sale of small parcels of land held by Housing. It aims to protect residents' interest in the Councils land assets and to ensure requests are dealt with in a fair and consistent manner.

Policy on Disposal of Small Parcels of Housing Land

Small parcels of Housing Land will normally be land which is near to housing which is or was previously Council owned. It only covers small areas of land such as verges and other amenity land; it does not include anything which is big enough for one or more dwellings to be built.

Housing Land is regarded as public property and not usually for sale to benefit private individuals. Applications to buy will normally be refused unless there:

• is a broader community benefit to the disposal.
• are management issues in relation to the area of land concerned.
• are other extenuating circumstances in relation to the applicant requesting the purchase.

In all cases evidence will be required to support or justify the application to buy.

Making an enquiry

Before contacting us, read the frequently asked question about purchasing small parcels of Council owned Housing Land.

To make an initial enquiry and receive a call back regarding the process and administrative charges for Land Sales, contact the Client Services team with the following information.

• Your details, including a contact telephone number and an email address
• The location of the land you wish to purchase
• The reason you want to purchase the land and what you want to do with the land
• Any plans, pictures or other documentation to support your application

If you wish to go through with your application you will need to provide us with all the information requested so that we can assess your request.

You can also read the Land Sales Procedural Flow Chart.

Client Services

Email: client.services@colchester.gov.uk

Cost per request

Non-refundable charge to process a Land Sale request of £310 including VAT.