- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 5
- City
- Liverpool
What to know in Merseyside
Covenants are common on estate corner plots, in Merseyside as elsewhere. Some were written to keep corners open or limit each plot to one house, and they still bind the land today unless released or modified. Options include indemnity insurance, agreement with whoever benefits, or an application to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). Your lender must also agree to release the plot. We read the title documents during the appraisal, so you know about any restriction before paying for designs.
Planning authorities covering Merseyside include Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, St Helens Borough Council, Wirral Council.
How it works
Free plot appraisal
We look at your plot on maps, the title plan and street views, check planning history nearby and talk it through with you. If a home beside yours looks possible we visit. No cost, no obligation.
Read the street
We measure the plot and record the building line, the gaps between houses, roof heights, materials and boundary walls, then check where a new drive could go and what drivers would be able to see from it.
Choose your route
Sell the plot outright, sell it subject to planning, or grant an option while you keep your house. Or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a new home on it.
Design and planning
We draw a home that sits in the street rather than fighting it, usually take pre-application advice, and submit the application. The council consults neighbours and decides; small schemes often take a few months.
Sale or build
For a sale, your solicitor handles the transfer of part and any release from your lender. For a build, a written quote follows design and survey, then we build, arrange the warranty and hand over.
Corner and side plots in towns across Merseyside
- Liverpool
- Birkenhead
- St Helens
- Southport
- Wallasey
- Bootle
- Bebington
- Huyton
- Crosby
- Kirkby
- Prescot
- Heswall
- Maghull
- Newton-le-Willows
- Formby
- Litherland
- Halewood
- Moreton
- Haydock
Questions about corner and side plots in Merseyside
Are corner plots easier to develop than back gardens in Merseyside?
Often, because a new home on a corner or side plot usually has its own frontage and drive. But the council will look closely at the street scene, the building line and visibility at the junction. Some corners were designed to stay open, and that can count against a new home.
Which councils decide side plot applications in Merseyside?
The council for your address decides. Across Merseyside, the planning authorities include Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, St Helens Borough Council and Wirral Council, and each has its own plan and guidance on how new homes should fit into existing streets. We look up the policies that apply at your exact address before suggesting a design.
Can I sell a side plot in Merseyside without planning?
Yes. A direct purchase can happen before any permission exists, on the usual basis of survey, title and contract. Alternatively, a sale subject to planning lets us fund the application in the normal way, and if the council refuses, the land stays yours. Your free appraisal sets out which suits your plot.
Do I need my own solicitor to sell a plot in Merseyside?
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.