Backland Development
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Sell part of your garden in Abingdon

Selling land at the back of your house in Abingdon is a legal transaction more than a building one. Nothing gets dug or demolished before you sell. A new boundary is drawn on a plan, your solicitor prepares a transfer of part, any mortgage lender agrees to release the plot, and HM Land Registry gives it a title of its own.

What makes that plot worth buying is the prospect of a new home being allowed on it, and that turns on access, space and how a scheme would sit beside the houses around it. We look at all three for any garden in Abingdon before making a written offer.

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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
Vale of White Horse District Council
Postcodes
OX14
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Oxfordshire

How it plays out in Abingdon

Vale of White Horse District Council sets out its approach to new homes in the council’s Local Plan, and many councils add supplementary guidance on garden development, privacy distances and parking. Those documents, rather than rules of thumb, are what an application for a plot in Abingdon would be tested against. Before we offer on a garden, we read the relevant policies, look at recent decisions on similar plots nearby and check whether the site falls in a conservation area or flood zone. If the policies point against a new home, we say so rather than offering a price we can’t stand behind.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Abingdon: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.8 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Abingdon: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

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. 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.

  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.
  • 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 new home will be built close to yours, with building work and deliveries for a period.

Questions about garden plots in Abingdon

Can I sell the plot and keep living in my Abingdon 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.

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

Vale of White Horse District 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.

What if my Abingdon 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 Vale of White Horse District Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.

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

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.

Other options in Abingdon

Sell your garden plot near Abingdon

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