- Planning authority
- Dorset Council
- Postcodes
- DT1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Dorset
What shapes a plot in Dorchester
For homes in DT1, a garden plot with planning permission doesn’t have to sell to a buyer from the same street. A promoted plot can be offered to builders and self-builders from Dorchester or nearby places such as Weymouth, Portland and Poole, and from further afield, through an agent agreed with you. The aim is enough interest to test the price properly, rather than one quiet offer.
You see every offer, approve the buyer and keep the protection of a minimum price. If we want to bid ourselves, the price has to stand up against the open market, for example through an independent valuation.
What happens next in Dorchester
Nothing is signed until you’ve seen the heads of terms and taken advice. Call us or use the form with your Dorchester address, a rough idea of where the garden runs, and whether neighbours might join in. We’ll check the title, access and planning history first, then tell you plainly whether promotion, a sale subject to planning or another route suits your plot.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- You’ll live next to whatever is built, so the layout, windows and new boundary affect your house too.
- The plot’s price isn’t known until it’s marketed with permission; it depends on location, size, access and the permission itself.
Questions about garden plots in Dorchester
How long does planning promotion take for a garden in Dorchester?
It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Dorset 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.
Can you look at my garden in Dorchester 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.
Do I pay anything upfront for planning promotion in Dorchester?
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.
How is a promoted garden plot in Dorchester sold?
After permission, an agent agreed with you markets the plot to builders, developers and self-builders. You see the offers and approve the buyer. The plot can’t be sold below the agreed minimum price without your written consent, and any offer from us has to stand up against the open market.
Other options in Dorchester
- Garage courts and yards
- Corner and side plots
- Bungalows on large plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design