Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Sell part of your garden in Bath

Selling land at the back of your house in Bath 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 Bath before making a written offer.

Get a free appraisalCheck my garden
Long back garden with a string line and marker pegs across the lawn showing where a plot could be split off
Planning authority
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Postcodes
BA1, BA2
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Somerset

Bath: light, access and policy

Bath and North East Somerset 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 Bath 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 Bath: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.4 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Bath on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

Here is what happens if you contact us about a garden in Bath. 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.

  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

  • Your house keeps a smaller garden, which some future buyers will welcome and others won’t.
  • 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.

Bath: questions to ask

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

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.

How much is a garden plot in Bath 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 Bath 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 Bath and North East Somerset 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.

Do you buy garden plots in Keynsham, Trowbridge and Kingswood as well as Bath?

Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Bath. 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.

Other options in Bath

Sell your garden plot near Bath

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248