- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 3
- City
- Bath
Getting it right in Somerset
Once a garden plot in Somerset has planning permission, it can be offered to a wider pool of buyers, from small builders and developers to self-builders looking for a single plot. Promotion lets that market set the price, with a minimum price agreed with you so the plot can’t be sold too cheaply without your consent. What a plot is worth depends on its location, size, access and the permission itself, which is why we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.
Planning authorities covering Somerset include Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council, Somerset Council.
How it works
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.
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.
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.
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.
Planning promotion in towns across Somerset
- Bath
- Weston-super-Mare
- Taunton
- Yeovil
- Bridgwater
- Portishead
- Frome
- Burnham-on-Sea
- Clevedon
- Nailsea
- Keynsham
- Wells
Questions about planning promotion in Somerset
What does planning promotion cost a garden owner in Somerset?
Nothing upfront. We pay for surveys, drawings and planning fees, and recover them from the sale proceeds, within an agreed cap, only if a sale with planning happens. Our fee also comes from the proceeds, on a basis agreed in writing. Your reasonable legal fees for the agreement are covered up to a cap in the heads of terms.
Which planning rules apply to garden plots in Somerset?
National policy in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) applies, alongside the Local Plan of the council where the land sits. Councils look at access, character, privacy, daylight, garden space, trees, parking, bins, drainage and flood risk. Practical rules matter too, including biodiversity net gain rules and fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough).
Which councils decide garden plot applications in Somerset?
Applications are decided by the local planning authority for the address, and those serving Somerset include Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council and Somerset Council. Each applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) alongside its own Local Plan and design guidance, and makes its own decision. We check the policies of the council where your land sits during the free appraisal.
How much is a garden plot in Somerset worth?
It depends on location, size, access, title and, above all, planning. Two similar gardens in the same street can be worth very different amounts if one has easy access and the other doesn’t. We don’t quote figures before we’ve looked at a plot properly; the free appraisal is the way to find out.