- Planning authority
- Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
- Postcodes
- SL4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Berkshire
How it plays out in Windsor
On many backland plots, access matters more than size. A long garden in Windsor may have no route to the road wide enough for cars, bins and emergency vehicles, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will look closely at the effect of a new drive on the homes either side of it.
For homes in SL4 we look at access first: the width beside the house, visibility at the pavement, and whether a strip of land owned by someone else sits in the way. If access only works by joining with a neighbour, we’ll say so, and promoting the combined site may be the better route.
From first call to decision
From first call to completion, a promotion in Windsor runs in clear stages: free appraisal, heads of terms, agreement, planning application, marketing and sale. You decide at the points that matter most, signing the agreement, setting the minimum price and approving the buyer. Timing depends on the council’s workload, any extra reports it asks for and the buyer’s solicitors, so we give a realistic range rather than a promise.
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.
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.
We apply for planning
We commission the surveys and drawings, take pre-application advice where it helps, submit the application and deal with the council’s questions. You pay nothing at this stage, and the decision is the council’s.
Completion and payout
On completion, sale costs, our capped planning costs and our fee come out of the proceeds in the order the agreement sets. The balance is paid to you through your solicitor.
Worth checking early
- Promotion takes longer than a straight sale: planning, then marketing, then completion, and each stage can run on.
- The plot’s price isn’t known until it’s marketed with permission; it depends on location, size, access and the permission itself.
- You’ll live next to whatever is built, so the layout, windows and new boundary affect your house too.
Questions about garden plots in Windsor
Is planning promotion available for a single garden in Windsor?
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.
What happens if planning is refused for my garden in Windsor?
You keep your land and owe nothing for planning, because our costs are only recovered from a sale with planning. Within the term we may revise the scheme and reapply, or appeal if the grounds are strong. If there’s no realistic route to permission, the agreement ends.
How long does planning promotion take for a garden in Windsor?
It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead 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.
Do I pay anything upfront for planning promotion in Windsor?
No. We fund the surveys, drawings and planning fees. Those costs are recovered from the sale proceeds, within a cap set in the heads of terms, only if a sale with planning happens. Your reasonable legal fees for the agreement are also covered up to an agreed cap.
Other options in Windsor
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a new home in your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Garage courts and yards

