Backland Development
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Planning promotion for garden plots in Luton

If you own a long or wide garden in Luton, planning promotion lets you have the plot sold with planning permission without paying for the application yourself. We fund the surveys, drawings and planning fees, the plot is marketed once permission is granted, and our capped costs and fee come out of the sale proceeds.

You keep your house and approve the buyer. Nothing is paid upfront, and if no sale with planning happens, you owe us nothing for planning. We cover your reasonable legal fees for the agreement up to a cap set in the heads of terms, so your own solicitor can check everything from the start.

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White architectural model of a house at the front of a plot with two new homes at the end of the garden
Planning authority
Luton Borough Council
Postcodes
LU1
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.4 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Bedfordshire

What the council will look at in Luton

Shadow and distance are often why a combined site in Luton works better than a single garden. With the sun at about 38° at noon in late March, the shadow from a 5 m eaves line reaches roughly 6.4 m, so a home squeezed into one narrow garden can end up too close to the houses it backs onto.

Joining gardens with neighbours lets new homes sit towards the middle of a wider site, away from existing windows, with one shared access. Promotion suits that kind of scheme, because planning costs are spread across more land and the site is sold as one well-planned whole. Luton Borough Council still makes the decision.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Luton: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 19.1 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Luton on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.4 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Luton

The first step for a Luton garden is a conversation and a desktop check, at no cost. We then send written heads of terms covering the term, minimum price, cost cap and fee. Once the agreement is signed, we commission surveys and drawings, take pre-application advice from Luton Borough Council where it helps, and submit the application. Marketing starts only after permission is granted.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We check your title plan, access, the surrounding gardens and the policies in the council’s Local Plan as a desktop exercise, then talk it through with you. If it looks viable, we visit. No cost and no obligation.

  2. Heads of terms

    We set out the deal in writing: the term, how our fee works, the cap on planning costs we can recover, the minimum price, the marketing approach and the cap on your reasonable legal fees that we cover.

  3. Agreement signed

    Your solicitor and ours turn the heads of terms into a promotion agreement. It’s usually protected by an entry on your title, and if your house is mortgaged, your lender is asked to consent early.

  4. Marketing and sale

    With permission granted, the plot is marketed as the agreement sets out. You see the offers and approve the buyer, and the plot can’t be sold below the minimum price without your written consent.

Worth checking early

  • You can’t sell the plot to anyone else while the agreement runs, so the term length matters.
  • Planning may be refused. You keep your land and owe nothing for planning, but the months spent can’t be given back.
  • On a single small plot, fixed costs and our fee take a bigger share of the sale price than on a larger site.

Your questions, answered for Luton

How long does planning promotion take for a garden in Luton?

It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Luton Borough Council needs time to decide, and marketing and conveyancing follow. The council’s workload, extra reports and any appeal drive the timing, so we give a realistic range after the appraisal.

Is planning promotion available for a single garden in Luton?

Yes, if the plot is suitable, though promotion is more usual on larger sites. On one modest garden, the fixed costs of planning, legal work and marketing take a bigger share of the sale. After the free appraisal we’ll tell you whether promotion, a sale subject to planning or an option suits your garden best.

Can you look at my garden in Luton before I commit to anything?

Yes. The plot appraisal is free and carries no obligation. We start with a desktop check of your title, access and the planning policies that apply, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable, we arrange a site visit before any heads of terms are drafted.

Can neighbours in Luton combine gardens for a planning promotion?

Yes, and promotion often works better that way. Adjoining gardens can share one access and allow a better layout. Each owner keeps their house, signs an agreement setting out how proceeds are shared, and takes advice from their own solicitor. We can appraise the combined land as one site first.

Other options in Luton

Planning promotion near Luton

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

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