- Planning authority
- Lancaster City Council
- Postcodes
- LA1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.9 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Lancashire
What shapes a plot in Lancaster
For homes in LA1, 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 Lancaster or nearby places such as Morecambe, Heysham and Fleetwood, 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.
How we’d take it forward in Lancaster
The first step for a Lancaster 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 Lancaster City Council where it helps, and submit the application. Marketing starts only after permission is granted.
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.
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
- The plot’s price isn’t known until it’s marketed with permission; it depends on location, size, access and the permission itself.
- On a single small plot, fixed costs and our fee take a bigger share of the sale price than on a larger site.
- You can’t sell the plot to anyone else while the agreement runs, so the term length matters.
Your questions, answered for Lancaster
Can neighbours in Lancaster 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.
Can you look at my garden in Lancaster 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 Lancaster?
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 Lancaster?
It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Lancaster City 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 Lancaster
- Garage courts and yards
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Sell part of your garden
- Corner and side plots

