Backland Development
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Planning promotion for garden plots in Durham

Getting a garden plot through planning costs money before anyone knows the answer: a measured survey, drawings, often a tree or ecology report, sometimes a transport or drainage note, and the application fee itself. Under a planning promotion in Durham, we fund all of that upfront.

Durham County Council then decides the application. If permission is granted, the plot is marketed and sold, and our planning costs, within the cap agreed in the heads of terms, are recovered from the sale along with our fee. If it’s refused and no sale with planning happens, those costs stay with us and you keep your garden.

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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
Durham County Council
Postcodes
DH1
Noon sun, 21 March
About 35°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 7.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
County Durham

The local picture in Durham

Every application Durham County Council decides goes on its public planning register, and a refusal stays there. That record doesn’t stop a later application, but the next scheme has to answer the reasons given. It is one reason we prepare a garden plot in Durham carefully before submitting: measured survey, access check, separation distances, trees and drainage.

We also check the planning history of your house and the gardens near it, and what the council’s Local Plan says about garden land. Past decisions on nearby plots are often the best guide to what the council will accept.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Durham: about 35 degrees on 21 March and 12 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 35°, shadow 7.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 12°, shadow 24.0 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Durham: around 35° of sun at midday in late March and about 12° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

What happens next in Durham

The first step for a Durham 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 Durham County 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. 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.

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.
  • Planning may be refused. You keep your land and owe nothing for planning, but the months spent can’t be given back.

Questions about garden plots in Durham

Can you look at my garden in Durham 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.

What happens if planning is refused for my garden in Durham?

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.

Does a mortgage on my Durham home stop a planning promotion?

No, but your lender has to be involved. The lender’s charge covers the garden, so it must agree to release the plot before it’s sold, and some lenders want to approve the promotion agreement too. We raise this at the start so it doesn’t delay a sale later.

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

It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Durham County 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.

Other options in Durham

Planning promotion near Durham

Find out what your garden could become

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

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248