- Planning authority
- Rossendale Borough Council
- Postcodes
- BB4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Lancashire
Before you decide in Rawtenstall
When a desk check looks promising, we visit. On gardens in BB4 we walk the boundary, measure the distance from your back wall to where a new home could sit, note the trees and their spread, check the levels and look at which neighbouring windows face the plot. We also stand at the end of the drive to see how far a driver could see in each direction.
Those measurements, set against what Rossendale Borough Council expects, turn a rough idea into a plot with a shape and a price. The visit is part of the free appraisal, and you’re welcome to walk round with us.
The next steps, locally
Here is what happens if you contact us about a garden in Rawtenstall. We ask a few questions about the house, the garden and any mortgage. We run the desk checks and call back with a view, good or bad. If it’s good, we visit and make a written offer to buy the plot outright. If you accept, heads of terms set out the price, the boundary and who pays what before solicitors start.
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.
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.
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
- 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.
- A sale without planning is priced for the planning risk we take on, so it usually pays less than the same plot with permission.
Your questions, answered for Rawtenstall
Do you buy garden plots in Haslingden, Ramsbottom and Accrington as well as Rawtenstall?
Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Rawtenstall. 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.
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Rawtenstall garden?
Rossendale Borough 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 Rawtenstall 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.
Can I sell part of my garden in Rawtenstall 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 Rossendale Borough 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 Rawtenstall
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards
- Build a new home in your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden

