Sell part of your garden in Horfield

Turning part of a Horfield garden into money doesn’t have to mean selling up. A plot sale transfers only the land you choose, leaves your house on its existing title with a new boundary, and gives the plot a title of its own at HM Land Registry. If the house is mortgaged, your lender signs off the release.

From there, any planning application is ours to make, and the risk of refusal is ours to carry. You’d see the plans like any neighbour and could comment on them. If you’d prefer to sell only once permission is granted, our sale subject to planning works that way instead.

Long back garden with a string line and marker pegs across the lawn showing where a plot could be split off
Planning authority
Bristol City Council
Postcodes
BS7
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Bristol

Before you decide in Horfield

Every garden sale in Horfield ends up as a transfer of part, so the title is where our checks begin. We look for covenants that restrict building, rights of way crossing the plot, and whether the boundary on the ground matches the plan. A mortgage lender will need to release the plot, and a sewer under the lawn may need a build-over agreement.

On the planning side, the searches show what Bristol City Council has approved or refused at the address, and the council’s Local Plan shows how it views new homes in gardens. Together, these tell us whether to make an offer before anyone takes a tape measure out.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Horfield: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Horfield: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

How we’d take it forward in Horfield

Next steps in Horfield are simple. Send us your address and a rough idea of the part of the garden you’d consider selling. We check the title and the planning position from our desk, call you to talk it through, and arrange a visit if the plot looks viable. If it is, a written offer follows, subject to survey, title and contract.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    Tell us about your garden. We check the title plan, access, local policy and planning history from our desk, then talk it through with you. If it looks viable, we arrange a site visit, with no cost and no obligation.

  2. Written offer and heads of terms

    We put our offer in writing, subject to survey, title and contract. Heads of terms then record the plot boundary, the price, access rights, who pays which costs and the rough timetable for each stage.

  3. Solicitors and lender

    Your solicitor prepares the transfer of part and asks your mortgage lender to release the plot. Ours checks the title, covenants, rights of way and searches, while surveys of trees, ground and drainage run alongside.

  4. After the sale

    Any boundary fence or access works agreed in the transfer are carried out as set out. If the plot still needs planning, we apply as the new owner, and you can see and comment on the plans like any other neighbour.

Worth checking early

  • Lender consent, old covenants or access disputes can slow a sale, and occasionally stop it.
  • A new home will be built close to yours, with building work and deliveries for a period.
  • Selling the plot after you have sold or moved out of the house can change the tax position; take advice from a tax adviser.

Your questions, answered for Horfield

Can I sell part of my garden in Horfield without planning permission?

Yes. We buy suitable plots with or without planning, subject to survey, title and contract. Without permission, we take on the risk that Bristol City Council refuses an application, and our offer allows for that. If you’d rather sell only once permission is granted, a sale subject to planning is the alternative.

Do you buy garden plots in Henleaze, Southmead and Clifton as well as Horfield?

Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Horfield. The process is the same wherever your garden is, although planning policies depend on the council for your address, so our desk check always starts by finding out which one that is.

What if my Horfield garden has a protected tree?

A tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or standing in a conservation area, needs consent or notice before work. That doesn’t automatically stop a sale. Often the new home is placed to avoid the roots and canopy, and Bristol City Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.

How long does selling a garden plot in Horfield take?

The legal work usually runs for a few months, much like an ordinary house sale. What drives it is the lender’s consent to release the plot, any covenant or access issue on the title, and how quickly both solicitors work. Selling without planning means there’s no council stage to wait for before completion.

Other options in Horfield

Sell your garden plot near Horfield

Find out what your garden could become

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