- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 5
- City
- Newcastle upon Tyne
How councils in Tyne and Wear look at it
Planning costs on a garden plot in Tyne and Wear cover more than drawings. The application has to show how the scheme meets biodiversity net gain rules, and the layout must allow for 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). Drainage needs thought from the start, and in practice that means a drainage plan the council will want to see. Trees, wildlife, flood risk and bin collection can each add a report or a redesign. Under promotion we pay for all of it, and it is only recovered, within the agreed cap, from the proceeds of a sale with planning.
Planning authorities covering Tyne and Wear include Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City 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 Tyne and Wear
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Sunderland
- South Shields
- Gateshead
- Washington
- Wallsend
- North Shields
- Whitley Bay
- Houghton-le-Spring
- Jarrow
- Hebburn
- Tynemouth
- Whickham
- Blaydon-on-Tyne
Questions about planning promotion in Tyne and Wear
Which councils decide garden plot applications in Tyne and Wear?
Applications are decided by the local planning authority for the address, and those serving Tyne and Wear include Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City 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.
Is planning promotion usual for small garden plots in Tyne and Wear?
Not especially. Promotion is more common on larger sites, because fixed costs are spread over more homes. It can still work for a generous single garden or, more often, for neighbours combining gardens. For a smaller plot we may suggest a sale subject to planning or an option instead.
What does planning promotion cost a garden owner in Tyne and Wear?
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.
How long does planning take for a garden plot in Tyne and Wear?
The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.