How Much Is My Land Worth in Staffordshire?

How Much Could Development Land Be Worth in Staffordshire?

This is often the first question landowners ask. The reality is that development land values vary considerably depending on location, planning status and market conditions.

Staffordshire is a large and varied county with strong links to the West Midlands, Birmingham, Derbyshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and the wider Midlands economy. The county includes major urban areas, market towns, villages, employment corridors, Green Belt locations, countryside edges and strategic road and rail connections. As a result, land with genuine development potential can command significant values compared with existing agricultural, paddock, equestrian or amenity use. Agricultural land may be worth only a fraction of the value achieved by land with planning permission.

While every site is different, obtaining planning permission can dramatically increase land value.

The key is understanding whether your land has realistic development potential before making decisions about selling.

That is exactly what our free assessment aims to establish.

The latest land value estimates for Staffordshire, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), indicate that residential development land with planning permission could be worth between £650,000 and £1.7 million per acre, depending on the density of the development. These figures highlight the significant uplift in value that can be achieved when suitable land secures planning consent.

Residential development land values can vary significantly across Staffordshire depending on location, planning status, density, infrastructure costs, abnormal development costs and market demand. However, land with planning permission for housing can be worth substantially more than land used for agriculture, grazing, equestrian or amenity purposes. These potential value differences highlight why it is important to obtain a professional assessment before deciding whether to sell or promote land.

Why Staffordshire is an Attractive Area for Development

Staffordshire occupies a strategically important position between the West Midlands, the Potteries, the A38/A50 corridors, the M6, the A5 and the wider Midlands economy. The county includes major urban areas, market towns, villages, rural communities, employment locations, Green Belt areas and important countryside landscapes.

As demand for new homes, affordable housing, employment land, logistics space and infrastructure continues across the Midlands, suitable sites within Staffordshire may remain important, particularly where they are well connected, deliverable and capable of being promoted through the planning system.

This creates opportunities for landowners whose land is located:

• Adjacent to existing settlements
• Close to local services and facilities
• Near public transport connections, railway stations and strategic roads
• On the edge of Staffordshire towns and villages
• Within areas being considered through future Local Plan reviews

Land that may appear unlikely to be developed today can become significantly more valuable if it is promoted successfully through the planning system.

We Assess Land Across Staffordshire and Nearby Areas

We review land across Staffordshire, including urban fringe sites, edge-of-settlement land, paddocks, agricultural land, Green Belt land, brownfield opportunities and larger strategic land holdings. We assess whether land may have potential for residential, commercial, employment or mixed-use development and whether it may be suitable for promotion through a Local Plan review or planning application.

Here Are Just Some of the Towns and Villages We Cover in and Around Staffordshire

• Stafford
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Burton upon Trent
• Cannock
• Rugeley
• Lichfield
• Tamworth
• Leek
• Uttoxeter
• Stone
• Burntwood
• Hednesford
• Penkridge
• Wombourne
• Codsall
• Kinver
• Cheadle
• Biddulph
• Great Wyrley

Land Near Staffordshire

We also assess land close to the Staffordshire boundary and throughout the wider Midlands, including sites near Derbyshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands conurbation.

Land Promotion in Staffordshire

Many landowners are unfamiliar with the land promotion process. In simple terms, land promotion involves identifying development opportunities, securing planning permission and ultimately selling the land to a developer.

Staffordshire Local Plans and Development Potential

Staffordshire does not have a single county-wide Local Plan for housing, commercial or mixed-use development. Instead, planning policy is prepared by the relevant local planning authorities across the county, including Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, South Staffordshire District Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Tamworth Borough Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Each authority is responsible for preparing its own Local Plan, identifying future housing and employment land requirements, allocating development sites and establishing planning policies that guide growth within its administrative area. As a result, the progress of Local Plan reviews, site allocation exercises and planning policy updates varies across Staffordshire.

Cannock Chase District Council adopted the Cannock Chase Local Plan 2018–2040 on 23 March 2026. This now provides the principal planning framework for Cannock, Rugeley, Hednesford and the wider district, replacing the previous Local Plan Part 1 adopted in 2014. Because the plan has only recently been adopted, the immediate focus is likely to be monitoring delivery, implementing allocated sites and reviewing housing, employment and infrastructure evidence as circumstances change. Landowners should continue to monitor future updates, because even recently adopted plans can be affected by changes to national policy, housing requirements and delivery performance.

East Staffordshire Borough Council adopted the East Staffordshire Local Plan 2012–2031 on 15 October 2015. The Council has continued to review its evidence base and adopted an updated Local Development Scheme in 2025 to guide future plan-making. Emerging work is now focused on preparing a new plan strategy to address housing and employment needs beyond the current plan period, with work progressing towards a plan period to 2043. This is important for landowners around Burton upon Trent, Uttoxeter, Tutbury, Rolleston-on-Dove and surrounding villages because new housing requirements, employment land needs and settlement strategies may create opportunities for suitable land to be considered through future plan-making.

Lichfield District Council currently relies on the adopted Local Plan Strategy, adopted in February 2015, together with the Local Plan Allocations document adopted on 16 July 2019. The Council previously progressed a Local Plan 2040 and then undertook Issues and Options work for a Local Plan 2043 in late 2024. In May 2026, the Council resolved to halt that emerging work and review the plan-making timetable in light of national planning policy and housing requirement changes. This means future plan preparation remains important for landowners in and around Lichfield, Burntwood, Fradley, Armitage, Alrewas and the wider rural area, because the next Local Plan will need to determine where future growth should be directed.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council submitted its emerging Local Plan 2020–2040 to the Secretary of State for examination on 20 December 2024. Examination hearings were held during 2025 and the plan has progressed through the examination and modifications process during 2026. Until the new plan is adopted, the existing development plan framework, including the Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Core Spatial Strategy 2006–2026, remains relevant. The emerging plan is important for landowners in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, Audley, Madeley, Keele, Loggerheads and surrounding settlements because it will guide future housing, employment land, infrastructure and site allocations across the borough.

South Staffordshire District Council is progressing a Local Plan Review. Following the Regulation 19 consultation, the Council submitted the plan for examination on 11 December 2024. Examination hearings took place during 2025 and January 2026, and a Main Modifications consultation is running from 14 May 2026 to 26 June 2026. The adopted planning framework continues to apply until the review is adopted, but the emerging plan is highly relevant for landowners in Codsall, Wombourne, Kinver, Penkridge, Great Wyrley, Cheslyn Hay, Brewood, Perton and surrounding villages, particularly where land may be affected by Green Belt, settlement boundaries or future housing distribution.

Stafford Borough Council had been preparing a Local Plan 2020–2040, but following a Cabinet decision on 6 March 2025, work on that plan stopped. The Council has now started a new Stafford Borough Local Plan 2025–2045 under the new plan-making system, with a Notice of Intention to Commence published from 3 June 2026. This early-stage plan-making process is important for landowners around Stafford, Stone, Eccleshall, Gnosall, Hixon and the surrounding rural area because future housing requirements, employment needs, infrastructure planning and potential growth locations will be reconsidered through the new plan.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council adopted the Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan 2014–2033 on 9 September 2020. The plan sets the development strategy and planning policies for Leek, Biddulph, Cheadle and the wider Moorlands area. The Council has continued plan monitoring and review work, with the Local Development Scheme updated in 2025/2026 and a draft timetable for a new Local Plan if the review determines that an update is required. Landowners should monitor future review work because landscape constraints, settlement hierarchy, housing needs, employment land and the relationship with the Peak District National Park can all affect development potential.

Tamworth Borough Council adopted the Tamworth Local Plan 2006–2031 on 23 February 2016. The Council is now preparing a new Tamworth Local Plan 2022–2043, which will replace the current plan and guide future development, housing, employment land, town centre policy, infrastructure and environmental protection. During 2025 and 2026, the Council has been undertaking evidence gathering and early consultation work. This is important for landowners because Tamworth is tightly bounded and future development needs may require careful assessment of available sites, brownfield opportunities, edge-of-settlement land and cross-boundary planning issues.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is preparing a new Stoke-on-Trent Local Plan. The Council consulted on Regulation 18 Issues and Options in Summer 2021 and a Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan in Autumn 2025. The next stage is the Regulation 19 Publication Local Plan, with consultation expected in August/September 2026 and submission expected in December 2026. Until the new plan is adopted, existing adopted planning policies remain relevant. The emerging plan is important for landowners and owners of brownfield, commercial, employment and edge-of-urban land across Stoke-on-Trent because it will set future policies for regeneration, housing, employment, infrastructure and site allocations.

Local Plan reviews are particularly important for landowners because they help determine where future homes, employment land, infrastructure and growth should be directed. If your land is well located, available and capable of being delivered, it may have the potential to be promoted through the Local Plan process for future development. Submitting land through a Local Plan review is highly competitive, with councils often assessing hundreds of potential development sites. A professionally prepared submission can significantly improve the prospects of a site being positively considered.

At Value My Land, we undertake a detailed assessment of your land, identify its planning strengths and opportunities, review potential constraints and prepare a robust evidence-based submission tailored to the relevant council's site assessment criteria. This helps ensure that decision-makers fully understand the merits of your land, increasing the likelihood that it is shortlisted, allocated for development or identified as a preferred growth location. While no consultant can guarantee allocation, a professionally promoted site will typically have a far stronger chance of being selected than a site submitted without supporting evidence or strategic planning input.

How it Works

Step 1 – Free Assessment

We review the location, planning context and development potential of your land.

Step 2 – Detailed Appraisal

Where appropriate, we undertake a more comprehensive assessment to understand opportunities and constraints.

Step 3 – Planning Strategy

We identify the most suitable route to securing planning permission.

Step 4 – Promotion

The land is promoted through Local Plan reviews, Call for Sites submissions and planning applications where appropriate.

Step 5 – Sale to a Developer

Once planning permission is secured, the land can be marketed to developers, often resulting in significantly higher values.