- Planning authority
- Plymouth City Council
- Postcodes
- PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4, PL5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 40°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.0 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Devon
Before you decide in Plymouth
Garden plots don’t stop at the edge of Plymouth. We look at land in nearby Saltash, Tavistock and Paignton in exactly the same way, and sometimes the strongest plot is one where two or three gardens back onto a single lane or share one access.
If yours is too narrow on its own, a neighbour’s garden might complete it, and selling together can produce a better scheme than either garden could alone. We can talk you both through how that works. Wherever the land sits, the planning authority for that address decides any application, whether that is Plymouth City Council or the one next door.
From first call to decision
Next steps in Plymouth 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.
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.
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.
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.
Exchange and completion
Once both sides are satisfied, contracts are exchanged and a completion date is fixed. On completion the money passes through the solicitors and HM Land Registry registers the plot under a new title of its own.
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.
- Your house keeps a smaller garden, which some future buyers will welcome and others won’t.
Plymouth: questions to ask
What if my Plymouth 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 Plymouth City Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.
Can I sell part of my garden in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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.
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Plymouth garden?
Plymouth City Council decides, as the local planning authority, using the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Neighbours and consultees can comment, and the council weighs their points against planning policy. Nobody, including us, can promise the outcome, which is why an outright sale without planning is priced for that uncertainty.
How long does selling a garden plot in Plymouth 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 Plymouth
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Garage courts and yards
- Planning permission for a garden plot