- Planning authority
- North Yorkshire Council
- Postcodes
- BD23
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.9 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- North Yorkshire
The local picture in Skipton
When a desk check looks promising, we visit. On gardens in BD23 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 North Yorkshire 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
From first call to written offer usually takes a few weeks, depending mainly on how quickly the title checks and site visit can be arranged. After that, the legal work for a plot sale in Skipton often runs for a few months, driven by the lender’s consent and any covenant or access questions. The appraisal costs you nothing, and you can stop at any point before exchange.
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.
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.
- 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.
Skipton: questions to ask
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in Skipton?
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 Skipton garden?
North Yorkshire 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.
Do you buy garden plots in Keighley, Colne and Bingley as well as Skipton?
Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Skipton. 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.
How long does selling a garden plot in Skipton 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 Skipton
- Garden plot option agreement
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot

