- Nation
- England
- Planning authorities
- 33
- Towns we cover
- 32
- City
- London
Sell, partner or build in Greater London
Your route depends on how much money, time and involvement you want from your garden. A direct sale, subject to survey, title and contract, is the simplest. A conditional sale, option or promotion can reflect more of the value a planning permission adds, with nothing upfront on promotion and reasonable legal fees covered on options. Design and build keeps the land yours. We’ll explain which of these fit your plot in Greater London during the free appraisal.
Sell or partner
- Sell part of your garden in Greater London
- Sell subject to planning in Greater London
- Garden plot option agreement in Greater London
- Planning promotion for your garden plot in Greater London
- Joint venture on your garden plot in Greater London
- Combine gardens with your neighbours in Greater London
Design and build
- Build a new home in your garden in Greater London
- Planning permission for a garden plot in Greater London
- Build a home for family in your garden in Greater London
- Plot feasibility and design in Greater London
By plot type
- Large rear gardens in Greater London
- Corner and side plots in Greater London
- Garage courts and yards in Greater London
- Tandem and landlocked plots in Greater London
- Bungalows on large plots in Greater London
The planning picture in Greater London
Nationally, the NPPF sets the framework that every council in England works within. Locally, each planning authority across Greater London applies its own Local Plan policies and design guidance, which is why two similar gardens a few miles apart can get different answers. The councils here include City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent and other councils. Before any money is spent on drawings, we check which policies apply to your address, whether the council has published guidance on garden land, and how decisions on similar plots have gone. That research is part of the free appraisal.
Planning authorities: City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Hillingdon, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest, London Borough of Wandsworth, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Westminster City Council.
Towns in Greater London
- Croydon
- Barnet
- Ealing
- Newham
- Brent
- Bromley
- Enfield
- Wandsworth
- Lambeth
- Redbridge
- Tower Hamlets
- Southwark
- Hillingdon
- Lewisham
- Greenwich
- Hounslow
- Waltham Forest
- Haringey
- Havering
- Harrow
- Hackney
- Bexley
- Barking and Dagenham
- Islington
- Merton
- Camden
- Sutton
- Westminster
- Richmond upon Thames
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Kingston upon Thames
- Kensington and Chelsea
Questions about garden plots in Greater London
Which council decides planning for a garden plot in Greater London?
The council for your address decides. The planning authorities covering Greater London include City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent and other councils. Each judges applications against its own Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), together with its design guidance. We prepare and submit the application and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is always the council’s, never ours.
How long does planning take for a garden plot in Greater London?
The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.
Can neighbours in Greater London combine their gardens?
Yes. Putting two or more adjoining back gardens together can allow one shared access and a better layout than separate plots. Each owner keeps their house. The owners usually sign a collaboration agreement, with an equalisation clause so that value is shared fairly even though only one garden provides the access. Each household should take its own legal advice.
Which national rules apply to a new home in Greater London?
Garden schemes here sit under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with the local detail coming from the council’s Local Plan. New homes must also meet the Building Regulations. That affects things such as fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). On drainage you’ll usually need a drainage plan the council will want to see, and land purchases fall under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We check which rules apply to your plot as part of the free appraisal.