Auction: Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 12 noon
The land sits opoist 37 - 40 Orchard Glade, Headcorn, Ashford, TN27
- Land size
- 3.89 acres
- Use Class
- Use Class: Sui Generis
Key Features
- Freehold investment land, 3.886 acres (STMS), at Headcorn, Maidstone, Kent, TN27 9SD
- Guide price: £50,000
- Auction date: 23rd September 2026, 1pm, St James Room, Claridge's, Mayfair, London (live & online bidding)
- Flexible use potential — investment holding, agricultural use, or future redevelopment (subject to planning consent)
- Classified as Grade 3 agricultural land (good to moderate), suitable for arable or pastoral use
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) potential under the Environment Act 2021, appealing to developers needing to meet the mandatory 10% BNG uplift
- Located in Headcorn village, known for its strong community, historic charm, and countryside setting near the Kent Downs and High Weald AONBs
- Excellent transport links — Headcorn railway station (London in just over an hour), plus A274/M20 (J8) access to Maidstone, Ashford and the Channel Tunnel
- Close to well-regarded local schools — Headcorn Primary (0.3 miles), Platts Heath and Kingswood Primary (both Ofsted "Good")
- Supported by the Maidstone Borough Local Plan, which favours sustainable rural development and biodiversity enhancement
Description
– Freehold Land south of Headcorn Station, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SD
Guide Price: £50,000*
A freehold parcel of land of approximately [area TBC], subject to measured survey, following the line of a dismantled railway just south of the main line at Headcorn.
The Land
The land is held as part of a registered title and is shown edged red on the plan. It runs south-east from near Headcorn station along the line of a dismantled railway towards the River Sherway. It is a long, tapering parcel, largely tree-covered, set between open farmland.
The land may suit amenity, woodland, nature conservation or biodiversity net gain (BNG) use, subject to any consents and registration requirements. There is no planning permission. Rights of access are set out in the legal pack.
Planning and Flood Risk
The land is in open countryside under the Maidstone Borough Local Plan, where new building is strictly controlled. Its southern end is close to the River Sherway, so parts may be in a flood zone. The land adjoins an operational railway, and any works near it may need Network Rail's agreement.
Before bidding, buyers should:
check the Environment Agency flood map
check access rights in the legal pack
take independent planning advice
The Location
Headcorn is a popular village in the Kent Weald, with shops, pubs, cafés, a post office, a pharmacy and Headcorn Primary School. Nearby villages include Staplehurst, Sutton Valence, Smarden and Biddenden.
Rail: Headcorn station has direct trains to London.
Road: the A274 leads to Maidstone and junction 8 of the M20.
The Auction
[Lot TBC] will be offered at Palace Auctions London's live and online auction at Claridge's, Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR, on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 12 noon, unless sold prior. You can bid in the room, online, by telephone or by proxy. All bidders must register and complete ID and anti-money-laundering checks before the auction.
Guide price: £50,000*
Deposit: 10%, payable on exchange
Buyer's premium: £2,000 + VAT
Contract documents charge: £850 + VAT
Completion: typically within 28 days
The legal pack, including the title, searches and special conditions, is available to registered bidders. The auctioneers have not inspected the land. Buyers should take independent legal and planning advice before bidding.
Viewings
The land may be inspected during daylight hours at any reasonable time, without an appointment, entirely at your own risk. Do not cross or approach the railway.
Edward Swindells: ,
Palace Auctions office: ,
*Guide price plus buyer's premium and fees. The reserve will not be more than 10% above a single-figure guide.
Map Location
Property details
- Tenure
- Freehold
- Council Tax Band
- Ask Agent
- Date Posted
- 2026-09-02
Market Value Analysis
Compared with 96 Bare & Undeveloped Land listings in South East England (1+ acres).
Utilities & Restrictions
Utilities
- Electricity
- Ask Agent
- Water
- Ask Agent
- Heating
- Ask Agent
- Broadband
- Ask Agent
- Sewerage
- Ask Agent
Rights & Restrictions
- Public Rights of Way
- Ask Agent
- Private Rights of Way
- Ask Agent
- Listed Property
- Ask Agent
- Restrictions
- Ask Agent
Listed status, conservation areas and planning constraints for this location are in the full report.
Property Features
- Accessibility
- Ask Agent
- Parking
- Ask Agent
- Garden
- Ask Agent
Beyond the particulars: planning activity, flood history, heritage and ground risks, checked for this exact spot.
Connectivity
Broadband
Fastest speed available at this postcode
1 Gbps
Gigabit full fibre
Suitable for
- 4K streaming on every screen
- Full-time home working
- Online gaming & big downloads
Fixed wireless access may also be an option here.
Mobile signal
Predicted 4G and 5G signal; indoor signal depends on building materials.
Ofcom Connected Nations postcode-level predictions. Speeds and signal are modelled, not measured, and vary between addresses and providers.
Signal is the easy part. Planning activity, flood history and protected designations here are in the full report.
Nearest Schools
Primary
- Headcorn Primary School642 metresOfsted: Good *
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Pupils
- 401
- Type
- Community school
- Frittenden Church of England Primary School2.5 milesOfsted: Good *
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Pupils
- 100
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Faith
- Church of England
- Smarden Primary School2.9 milesNo Ofsted rating
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Pupils
- 172
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ulcombe Church of England Primary School3.1 milesNo Ofsted rating
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Pupils
- 54
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Faith
- Church of England
- Staplehurst School3.4 milesOfsted: Good
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Pupils
- 398
- Type
- Community school
Secondary
- Cranbrook School6.2 milesOfsted report card · May 2026
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Pupils
- 958
- Type
- Academy converter
- Faith
- Christian
- The Lenham School6.2 milesOfsted: Good
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Pupils
- 820
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Cornwallis Academy6.5 milesNo Ofsted rating
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Pupils
- 1,402
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre6.8 milesOfsted: Good
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Pupils
- 1,772
- Type
- Academy converter
- New Line Learning Academy7.1 milesOfsted: Requires improvement *
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Pupils
- 826
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
* Latest graded judgement covers quality of education only; no overall grade was issued under the 2024-25 inspection framework.
Distances are straight-line from the advertised location. Source: the national school registers (DfE, Welsh Government, Scottish Government) and Ofsted.
Schools are just the start: sold prices nearby, planning activity and any flood history are in the full report.
Amenities
Supermarket
GP surgery
Pharmacy
Hospital
Green space
Straight-line distances from the advertised location. Sources: NHS records, Geolytix supermarket locations, OS Open Greenspace and the national trails registers.
The area stacks up? Now check the location itself: planning nearby, protected designations and past flooding.
Getting Around
Nearest station
Nearest bus stop
Typical drive times
Straight-line distances from the advertised location; drive times are typical free-flow times over OpenStreetMap road data, so allow more at peak. Public transport locations from DfT NaPTAN.
Easy to reach matters. So do planning activity, flood history and ground risks: all in the full report.
Flood Risk
Environment Agency open data, checked around the advertised map pin for the listed acreage. Long-term risk counts flood defences; the planning map's flood zones do not. Provided by LandSale, not the listing agent, and not part of the agent's particulars. Risk varies across a holding, so verify before committing.
Rivers and the sea
Planning map: Flood Zone 1.
Surface water
Not at the pin: mapped about 70 metres away.
These bandings are the summary. Where this location sits on the flood maps, plus planning activity, heritage and ground risks, is in the full report.
Important notice: Information, maps and tags on this page are drawn from the advertising agent's marketing materials or generated automatically. LandSale has not verified them. Relying on these details is at your own risk, always carry out independent checks before committing to a purchase.
LandSale full disclaimer
Marketing information only - not formal particulars. The details on this website are provided for general guidance and do not constitute an offer or contract. Neither LandSale nor the advertising estate/land agent accepts responsibility for any inaccuracy.
1. Source of information
- Listing content: Core description, asking price, tenure, measurements, photographs and planning history originate from the marketing materials of the advertising estate or land agent. LandSale does not author this content and cannot guarantee its accuracy.
- Automated tags & categorisation: Property type, land-use class, acreage bands and similar labels may be applied by machine-learning models. They are intended as a helpful guide only and may not reflect the property's legal status or permitted use.
- Third-party & enriched data layers: Maps, boundary outlines, planning designations, soil reports, broadband coverage and other environmental or location-based insights are licensed from external suppliers. Such data are supplied “as is", may be incomplete or out of date and are subject to change without notice.
2. Verification required
Prospective purchasers must verify critical matters, including but not limited to planning permission, title boundaries, public rights of way, environmental constraints, acreage, services, access and VAT status, through their own inspections, specialist surveys, legal advisers and the selling agent before relying on the information or entering into any contract.
3. No warranty or liability
LandSale gives no warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose of the information displayed. LandSale shall not be liable for any loss, damage, cost or expense arising directly or indirectly from any use of or reliance on such information, save where liability may not be excluded by law.
4. Updates & feedback
If you believe any detail on this listing is inaccurate, please let us know. We will investigate and, where appropriate, update the listing or notify the agent.
© LandSale | Version 1.3 - August 2026
Listing agent
Palace Auctions (London) LTD, London
Contact Palace Auctions (London) LTD, London
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