Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Sell part of your garden in Atherton

Is the end of your garden in Atherton 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
Wigan Council
Postcodes
M46
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.8 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater Manchester

How it plays out in Atherton

On many garden plots, access matters more than size. If a new home behind yours would be reached along a strip beside the house, Wigan Council will look at how wide it is, how far drivers can see where it meets the road, and how much noise and headlight glare from passing cars would reach you and the neighbours.

Building regulations add their own test, because the new home will need 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). Whether your garden is in M46 or just beyond, we measure the access early, since it shapes the offer more than almost anything else.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Atherton: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.6 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Atherton on 21 March sits about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Atherton

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. 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.

  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 sale without planning is priced for the planning risk we take on, so it usually pays less than the same plot with permission.
  • Lender consent, old covenants or access disputes can slow a sale, and occasionally stop it.
  • Selling the plot after you have sold or moved out of the house can change the tax position; take advice from a tax adviser.

Atherton: questions to ask

Will I need my own solicitor for a garden plot sale in Atherton?

Yes. You need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer acting for you on the transfer of part, separate from ours. Choose one who handles property sales and, ideally, development land. Who pays their fees is agreed in heads of terms before you instruct them.

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

Wigan 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 much is a garden plot in Atherton worth?

It depends on location, size, access and planning, so there’s no honest figure without looking at the plot itself. A garden with good access and room for a well-spaced home is a stronger plot than one with a narrow, shared or doubtful route in. Our free appraisal is the way to find out, and any offer comes in writing.

Can I sell part of my garden in Atherton 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 Wigan 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.

Other options in Atherton

Sell your garden plot near Atherton

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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