- Planning authority
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Postcodes
- BS31
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Somerset
How it plays out in Keynsham
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 Keynsham 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.
What happens next in Keynsham
Here is what happens if you contact us about a garden in Keynsham. 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.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- 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.
- 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 Keynsham
Do you buy garden plots in Stockwood, Brislington and Kingswood as well as Keynsham?
Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Keynsham. 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.
Can I sell the plot and keep living in my Keynsham 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.
Will I need my own solicitor for a garden plot sale in Keynsham?
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.
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in Keynsham?
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 Keynsham
- Garden plot option agreement
- Large rear gardens
- Build a new home in your garden
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden

