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Selling Land in Derbyshire

Derbyshire runs from the moors of the Peak District down to the Trent valley, and its planning picture changes just as much. Most councils are building well above their targets. Erewash, on the Nottingham side, is far below, but much of its open land is Green Belt. This page explains what that means for land in each part of the county.

Derbyshire at a Glance

Derbyshire has eight district and borough councils: Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire. Derbyshire County Council handles roads, schools and minerals. Derby is a separate unitary council and is not shown in the table below. Inside the Peak District National Park, planning decisions are made by the National Park Authority, not by the district councils.

Erewash is below 75%. It delivered 49% of the homes it needed in the Housing Delivery Test 2025, less than half its requirement. That means it is treated as having unmet housing need under national policy.
Derbyshire Dales needs an action plan. At 90%, it is below 95% and must show how it will improve delivery.
The other six are above target. North East Derbyshire delivered 268%, Bolsover 205%, South Derbyshire 195%, Amber Valley 173%, Chesterfield 168% and High Peak 121%.
Several Green Belts. The Nottingham and Derby Green Belt covers parts of Amber Valley, Erewash and South Derbyshire. There is also Green Belt around Glossop, on the Manchester side, and around Dronfield and Eckington, on the Sheffield side.
The Peak District. Britain's first National Park covers much of High Peak and Derbyshire Dales and part of North East Derbyshire.

Council by Council

The table shows each council's result in the government's Housing Delivery Test 2025 and where its local plan stands, using the Planning Inspectorate's own monitoring data.

Housing delivery and local plan position of each council in Derbyshire
Council	Housing Delivery Test 2025	Most recent strategic plan adopted	New plan progress
Amber Valley	173%	March 2026	No recent stage listed
Bolsover	205%	March 2020	No recent stage listed
Chesterfield	168%	July 2020	No recent stage listed
Derbyshire Dales	90%Action plan	December 2017	New plan published for consultation, August 2026
Erewash	49%Below 75%: unmet need	March 2014	Core Strategy Review withdrawn January 2026Checked September 2026 on the council or government website
High Peak	121%	April 2016	No recent stage listed
North East Derbyshire	268%	November 2021	No recent stage listed
South Derbyshire	195%	June 2016	New plan published for consultation, March 2025

Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026, with later milestones we have checked on council and government websites marked "Checked". A Housing Delivery Test result below 75% means the council is treated as having unmet housing need under policy S5 of the NPPF. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.

Erewash

Erewash sits between Derby and Nottingham and covers Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Sandiacre, Borrowash, Breaston, Draycott and West Hallam. It still relies on a core strategy from 2014. A review of that strategy went to examination, but the council voted to withdraw it on 22 January 2026, which is why no recent stage is shown. With delivery at 49%, Erewash is treated as having evidenced unmet housing need under policy S5 of the August 2026 NPPF. But much of its open land is Green Belt, and S5 does not apply there. Around Erewash towns, the more useful question is usually whether land is grey belt.

Amber Valley

Amber Valley covers Belper, Ripley, Alfreton, Heanor and the villages around them. Its new local plan was adopted in March 2026. Delivery is well above target, so new sites will mostly come through that plan and the next one.

South Derbyshire

South Derbyshire runs from the southern edge of Derby down to Swadlincote and Melbourne, and includes Hilton, Etwall and Aston-on-Trent. It has built nearly twice its requirement, and a good deal of Derby's growth has been planned on land just over the city boundary. It published a new draft plan in March 2025. The south of the district lies in the National Forest, and some of it drains to the River Mease.

Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales covers Matlock, Ashbourne, Wirksworth and Darley Dale. Much of the district is inside the National Park, where the Park Authority decides applications, so the council's own plan covers only the land outside it. Its plan dates from 2017, and it published a new draft plan in August 2026. At 90%, the council must prepare an action plan.

High Peak

High Peak covers Buxton, Glossop, New Mills, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge. Large parts of the borough are in the National Park, and the Glossop area has Green Belt. Its plan dates from 2016 and delivery is above target.

Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire and Bolsover

These three councils share the M1 corridor in the north east of the county. Chesterfield covers the town and Staveley. North East Derbyshire covers Dronfield, Clay Cross, Eckington and Killamarsh, with Green Belt on the Sheffield side. Bolsover covers Bolsover, Shirebrook, Clowne and South Normanton. All three adopted plans between 2020 and 2021 and are building far more than their requirement, so allocation through the plan is the usual route.

What Shapes Planning in Derbyshire

The Peak District National Park

The Peak District National Park Authority is the planning authority for everything inside the park boundary. National policy gives the highest level of protection to National Parks, and new housing inside the park is generally limited to meeting local needs. Land on the edge of towns just outside the boundary, such as Buxton, is assessed by the district council, though its effect on the park's setting is still considered.

The Green Belts

The Nottingham and Derby Green Belt was drawn to keep the two cities and the towns between them apart. In Derbyshire it covers much of Erewash and parts of Amber Valley and South Derbyshire. Since December 2024, Green Belt land that does not strongly contribute to its purposes can be grey belt, and development can be allowed if it meets the Golden Rules on affordable housing, infrastructure and green space. Previously developed land in the Green Belt, such as old yards, can also qualify. The same test applies to the Green Belt around Glossop and on the Sheffield side of North East Derbyshire. Our grey belt guide explains it.

The Derwent Valley Mills

The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site runs about 15 miles down the river from Matlock Bath to Derby, taking in the early cotton mills and mill villages at places such as Cromford and Belper. Land in or near it is judged on its effect on the site and its setting. This can shape a scheme heavily, but it does not rule out every site nearby.

Flood Risk and the River Mease

The Derwent, the Trent, the Dove, the Erewash and the Rother all have flood plains, and the Trent valley south of Derby is wide and low. Land in Flood Zones 2 and 3 faces the sequential test. In the far south, the River Mease is a Special Area of Conservation that is sensitive to phosphates, so new homes draining into its catchment must be nutrient neutral. See our guide to flood risk and development land.

Where Growth Is Focused

Derbyshire sits on the M1, A38, A50 and A6, with the Midland Main Line serving Long Eaton, Derby and Chesterfield. Derby's employers and the East Midlands Freeport, which includes the East Midlands Intermodal Park in Derbyshire, drive demand in the south. The areas we watch most closely are:

Area	Why it matters
Derby fringe	Growth for the city is planned partly in South Derbyshire and Amber Valley, where delivery is strong.
Erewash towns	Delivery at 49% means evidenced unmet need, but much of the open land is Green Belt, so grey belt is often the key test.
Swadlincote and Melbourne	Growing towns in South Derbyshire, in the National Forest, with the River Mease to check in places.
Belper, Ripley and Alfreton	Amber Valley's main towns, with a new plan adopted in March 2026.
Chesterfield and the M1 corridor	High delivery and good links to Sheffield, with Green Belt to the north.
Buxton, Glossop and Matlock	Towns next to the National Park, where land just outside the boundary is valuable but carefully assessed.

We are interested in land of 2 acres or more on the edge of these towns and the larger villages around them, where the site can be reached safely from a road and sits mostly outside the flood plain.

What This Means for Your Land

In most of Derbyshire, councils are building well, so the route is usually through the local plan. Erewash is the exception on numbers, but its Green Belt means the grey belt test matters more than the shortfall. The main routes are:

Grey belt in Erewash, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire. Fields that do little to stop sprawl or merging, and old yards in the Green Belt, can qualify if they meet the Golden Rules.
Land outside the Green Belt in Erewash. Where a site is not in the Green Belt, evidenced unmet need gives it a stronger case now.
Local plan allocation. Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire have draft plans, Erewash will need to start again and the other councils will prepare new plans under the new system. See our guide to call for sites and local plans.
Previously developed land. Former pit sites, works, depots and yards, which national policy supports reusing.
Sites near stations. National policy supports higher density homes near well-connected stations. Whether that applies depends on the station and its service.

Illustrative example: a 7-acre field on the edge of an Erewash village

Council delivery: 49% in the Housing Delivery Test 2025, so evidenced unmet need applies outside the Green Belt
Constraints: In the Green Belt, contained by housing on two sides, mostly Flood Zone 1
Likely route: A grey belt assessment, then an application that meets the Golden Rules
Your costs: None. Every planning cost, including any appeal, is paid by us
What we would offer: An option agreement with all planning costs paid for you and an agreed price if permission is granted

An illustration of how we think about a site, not a real offer. Every site is different, and our free desktop review looks at the specific field.

The same field could follow a very different path a few miles away in Amber Valley or South Derbyshire, where the plan route is stronger. That is why we look at each site on its own facts before saying anything about value.

The Land We Look for in Derbyshire

Fields of 2 acres or more next to a town or a larger village.
Green Belt land between Derby and Nottingham that is contained by roads or housing.
Land with a road frontage or a clear route to one.
Sites mostly in Flood Zone 1.
Former yards, pit sites, works and other previously developed land.
Larger holdings of 20 acres or more near Derby, Chesterfield or Swadlincote.

If your land is inside the National Park or close to the Derwent Valley Mills, it is not ruled out, but the bar is much higher. We will tell you plainly in our review.

Questions About Derbyshire

Erewash is below 75%. Does that mean Green Belt land there will get planning?

Not on its own. The unmet need policy does not apply in the Green Belt. Green Belt land has to qualify as grey belt, or be previously developed, and then meet the Golden Rules.

What happened to the Erewash plan?

The council withdrew its core strategy review from examination in January 2026. It will need to prepare a new plan. Check the council's website for its latest timetable.

My land is inside the Peak District. Can I sell it for housing?

It is unlikely to get permission for general market housing, because the National Park Authority limits new homes mainly to local needs. Land just outside the boundary can be a different story.

Do you look at land near Derby that is not in Derby itself?

Yes. Much of the growth for Derby has been planned in South Derbyshire and Amber Valley, and those are areas we watch closely.

How are the planning costs paid?

Under our agreements, we pay for the surveys, reports and planning work. If planning is not granted, you keep your land and owe nothing. See our guide to option agreements.

Sources

We update this page when new Housing Delivery Test results or local plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.

Other Counties We Cover

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