Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Sell part of your garden in Dorchester

Is the end of your garden in Dorchester more useful as a building plot than as lawn? The honest answer depends on things that can be checked: how wide the side access is, how far the back of your house sits from the plot, who owns the land between the plot and the road, and whether the title carries covenants against building.

We work through those questions in a free, no-obligation appraisal. If the answers are good, we offer to buy the plot outright. If they aren’t, we tell you which one is the problem and whether anything could fix it, from a neighbour’s cooperation to a different route such as a sale subject to planning.

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Long back garden with a string line and marker pegs across the lawn showing where a plot could be split off
Planning authority
Dorset Council
Postcodes
DT1
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Dorset

Before you decide in Dorchester

Light is often the deciding issue on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Dorchester stands about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.1 m across the ground behind it. By late December, with the sun only around 16° up, those shadows stretch much further.

That’s why the gap between your house and any new home matters so much to Dorset Council, and why a single-storey or dormer design sometimes succeeds where a full two storeys wouldn’t. We test the shadows before we offer, because they affect what the plot can hold.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Dorchester: 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 17.6 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Dorchester 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.

The next steps, locally

Once you get in touch, we look up your title at HM Land Registry and check what the council’s Local Plan says about homes in gardens. Then we talk, with no obligation on your side. If the plot works, we visit, agree the boundary with you on a plan and put our offer in writing. Your solicitor and ours take it from there, and the pace suits you.

  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. 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.

  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

  • 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.
  • 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 Dorchester

Do you buy garden plots in Weymouth, Portland and Poole as well as Dorchester?

Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Dorchester. 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.

Can I sell the plot and keep living in my Dorchester house?

Yes, that’s the whole point of a plot sale. You keep the house and the rest of the garden, and the boundary is drawn where you agree. The transfer can include rights and covenants that protect your home, such as who builds the new fence and limits on windows facing your property.

Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in Dorchester?

No. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) falls on the buyer of land, so on a sale to us any amount due is ours to pay. What may affect you as the seller is Capital Gains Tax, depending on your circumstances and whether you still live in the house. Take advice from a tax adviser before you agree a deal.

Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Dorchester garden?

Dorset 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.

Other options in Dorchester

Sell your garden plot near Dorchester

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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