- Planning authority
- Leicester City Council
- Postcodes
- LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4, LE5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Leicestershire
The local picture in Leicester
On many backland plots, access matters more than size. A long garden in Leicester may have no route to the road wide enough for cars, bins and emergency vehicles, and Leicester City Council will look closely at the effect of a new drive on the homes either side of it.
For homes in LE1, LE2, LE3 and LE4 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.
What happens next in Leicester
The first step for a Leicester 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 Leicester 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.
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.
- Promotion takes longer than a straight sale: planning, then marketing, then completion, and each stage can run on.
- On a single small plot, fixed costs and our fee take a bigger share of the sale price than on a larger site.
Leicester: questions to ask
Do I pay anything upfront for planning promotion in Leicester?
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 long does planning promotion take for a garden in Leicester?
It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Leicester 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.
Can you look at my garden in Leicester 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.
Who decides a planning application for a garden plot in Leicester?
Leicester City Council decides it, using the council’s Local Plan and national policy in the NPPF. Nobody can promise the outcome. Under promotion we prepare and submit the application at our cost and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is the council’s, and it can grant, refuse or ask for changes.
Other options in Leicester
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design