Garden Plots and Backland Development in West Sussex

Nation: England
Planning authorities: 7
Towns we cover: 11
City: Chichester

Sell, partner or build in West Sussex

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 West Sussex during the free appraisal.

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

The planning picture in West Sussex

Nationally, the NPPF sets the framework that every council in England works within. Locally, each planning authority across West Sussex 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 Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council 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: Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council, Worthing Borough Council.

Towns in West Sussex

Questions about garden plots in West Sussex

How long does planning take for a garden plot in West Sussex?

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.

Do I need my own solicitor to sell a plot in West Sussex?

Yes, always. Your solicitor checks the contract, deals with the transfer of part at HM Land Registry and asks your mortgage lender to release the plot if the house is mortgaged. On option and promotion agreements we cover your reasonable legal fees, with the cap agreed in heads of terms before work starts.

Which national rules apply to a new home in West Sussex?

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.

Can you build a new home in my garden in West Sussex for me to keep?

Yes. Through our design and build route we survey your plot, design a new home with you, apply for planning and, once permission is granted, build it. You keep the land and the new home, to sell, let or use for family. You get a written quote after design and survey, and any earlier guide price is a guide only.

Backland development in West Sussex