Backland Development
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Planning promotion for garden plots in Littlehampton

Getting a garden plot through planning costs money before anyone knows the answer: a measured survey, drawings, often a tree or ecology report, sometimes a transport or drainage note, and the application fee itself. Under a planning promotion in Littlehampton, we fund all of that upfront.

Arun District Council then decides the application. If permission is granted, the plot is marketed and sold, and our planning costs, within the cap agreed in the heads of terms, are recovered from the sale along with our fee. If it’s refused and no sale with planning happens, those costs stay with us and you keep your garden.

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White architectural model of a house at the front of a plot with two new homes at the end of the garden
Planning authority
Arun District Council
Postcodes
BN16, BN17
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
West Sussex

How it plays out in Littlehampton

On many backland plots, access matters more than size. A long garden in Littlehampton may have no route to the road wide enough for cars, bins and emergency vehicles, and Arun District Council will look closely at the effect of a new drive on the homes either side of it.

For homes in BN16 and BN17 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Littlehampton: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.7 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Littlehampton on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.1 m. In December the sun is only about 16° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

Here’s what happens after you contact us about a garden in Littlehampton. We start with a free desktop appraisal of your title plan, access and the policies in the council’s Local Plan, then talk it through with you. If it looks viable, we visit. If promotion fits, we send heads of terms, and your solicitor reviews them, with reasonable legal fees covered up to an agreed cap, before anything is signed.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

  • You’ll live next to whatever is built, so the layout, windows and new boundary affect your house too.
  • 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.

Questions about garden plots in Littlehampton

Can you look at my garden in Littlehampton 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.

How long does planning promotion take for a garden in Littlehampton?

It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then Arun District 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.

What happens if planning is refused for my garden in Littlehampton?

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.

Who decides a planning application for a garden plot in Littlehampton?

Arun District 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 Littlehampton

Planning promotion near Littlehampton

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

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