- Planning authority
- Gateshead Council
- Postcodes
- NE16
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Tyne and Wear
Before you decide in Whickham
Light is often the deciding issue on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Whickham stands about 35° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 7.1 m across the ground behind it. By late December, with the sun only around 12° up, those shadows stretch much further.
That’s why the gap between your house and any new home matters so much to Gateshead Council, and why a single-storey or dormer design sometimes succeeds where a full two storeys wouldn’t. We test the shadows before we offer, because they affect what the plot can hold.
The next steps, locally
Here is what happens if you contact us about a garden in Whickham. 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.
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.
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 new home will be built close to yours, with building work and deliveries for a period.
- Your house keeps a smaller garden, which some future buyers will welcome and others won’t.
- Selling the plot after you have sold or moved out of the house can change the tax position; take advice from a tax adviser.
Whickham: questions to ask
What if my Whickham 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 Gateshead Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.
Will I need my own solicitor for a garden plot sale in Whickham?
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 long does selling a garden plot in Whickham 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.
How much is a garden plot in Whickham 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.
Other options in Whickham
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Sell subject to planning
- Large rear gardens
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Garden plot option agreement

