A Dubai-based international real estate agency has hit back at claims it has misled buyers about the development potential of plots of greenbelt land it has sold in Epsom Downs.

Last week, a spokesman for Kings Land Global contacted the Epsom Guardian from the Emirate to deny accusations it has been marketing plots, off Downsway Close in Epsom Downs, which it has called the Epsom Hills, to customers with the guarantee of it having development potential.

In March, this newspaper heard from a number of residents who said they were astounded to see the land for sale by the company because it lies within the metropolitan greenbelt and has no realistic chance of acquiring planning permission in the future.

Reigate and Banstead Council said it had "warned the public about this sort of sale of property" and that it had served an Article 4 direction on the site, aimed at maintaining its openness by stopping it being fenced off into plots.

On its website, Kings Land Global has highlighted the main advantages of where the 155 plots, spanning 13.5 acres, are located - including the land being within the London commuter belt and immediately adjacent to "residential housing development".

It also states: "The borough of Epsom was named in August 2005 by the UK Channel 4's program Location, Location, Location as the Best Place to Live in the UK."

But Kings Land Global's spokesman said the plots are not being marketed as residential land or as having guaranteed residential development potential.

He said: "We know the land is in the metropolitan greenbelt and we make it clear to the people who buy it.

"We bought the land from a private owner some time ago.

"We sell to people purely speculatively as a long-term investment.

"That means that we are selling land within an area which is already developed and at some stage in the future this land may fall into a change of use. 

"We know that a lot of greenbelt sites have been removed from the greenbelt and there have been appeals and long application processes.  The way the planning system is in the UK, it’s all up in the air.

"I’m not saying that's what will happen with these plots.

"There’s no short-term plan in place to do anything with the site.

"It’s in the greenbelt so any kind of future planning applications would take a long time."

He said he can understand concerns of residents and "Nimbys": "There will be a perception [of this land being marketed with guaranteed development potential] purely because the way it’s being sold - individual plots to individual buyers.

"We wouldn’t be silly enough to market it as residential development land.

"We are a real estate business and land is something we have done for quite some time.

"We buy strategic land which sits close to the M25 and London in areas which are strategic and have got some sort of long-term prospects as there is significant over-population and a shortage of homes.

"The location speaks for itself.  

"We sell to business people, investors, people who want to own an asset in the UK for an affordable price and individuals who might be able to see the potential.

"It’s purely speculative. There are no promises.

"There is nothing in the contracts which bind us to guarantee any change of use on that land."

The spokesman refused to disclose how much the plots have been selling for, but said "pretty much" all of them have now been bought.

He said Reigate and Banstead Council "sent a message" by issuing an Article 4 direction on the land since questions have been raised by residents about it.

On its website, Kings Land Global states: "Although investment plots for sale never come with guaranteed planning permission, Kings Land only sells land in highly targeted areas that land specialists have deemed as having strong development potential.

"Even without planning permission, land in such areas is a highly desirable commodity and as more and more people realize the potential windfall they would receive if planning permission was granted the demand for land plots increases - as does their value."

To view Kings Land Global's website visit www.kingslandglobal.com/epsom-hills-surrey.