- Planning authority
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- B66, B67, B68
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
The local picture in Smethwick
On many garden plots, access matters more than size. If a new home behind yours would be reached along a strip beside the house, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council will look at how wide it is, how far drivers can see where it meets the road, and how much noise and headlight glare from passing cars would reach you and the neighbours.
Building regulations add their own test, because the new home will need fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). Whether your garden is in B66, B67 and B68 or just beyond, we measure the access early, since it shapes the offer more than almost anything else.
What happens next in Smethwick
Next steps in Smethwick 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
- A new home will be built close to yours, with building work and deliveries for a period.
- Lender consent, old covenants or access disputes can slow a sale, and occasionally stop it.
- A sale without planning is priced for the planning risk we take on, so it usually pays less than the same plot with permission.
Smethwick: questions to ask
How long does selling a garden plot in Smethwick 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.
Do you buy garden plots in West Bromwich, Birmingham and Halesowen as well as Smethwick?
Yes. We cover England and Wales, including the places around Smethwick. 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.
Will I need my own solicitor for a garden plot sale in Smethwick?
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.
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Smethwick garden?
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough 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.
Other options in Smethwick
- Corner and side plots
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Sell subject to planning

