- Planning authority
- Cherwell District Council
- Postcodes
- OX16
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Oxfordshire
Before you decide in Banbury
When a desk check looks promising, we visit. On gardens in OX16 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 Cherwell District 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
Next steps in Banbury are simple. Send us your address and a rough idea of the part of the garden you’d consider selling. We check the title and the planning position from our desk, call you to talk it through, and arrange a visit if the plot looks viable. If it is, a written offer follows, subject to survey, title and contract.
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
- Lender consent, old covenants or access disputes can slow a sale, and occasionally stop it.
- A new home will be built close to yours, with building work and deliveries for a period.
- A sale without planning is priced for the planning risk we take on, so it usually pays less than the same plot with permission.
Banbury: questions to ask
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Banbury garden?
Cherwell 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.
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in Banbury?
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.
Can I sell the plot and keep living in my Banbury 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.
What if my Banbury 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 Cherwell District Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.
Other options in Banbury
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Garden plot option agreement

