- Planning authority
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- B43, B64, B65, B69, B70
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
What the council will look at in West Bromwich
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough 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 West Bromwich 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 West Bromwich
From first call to written offer usually takes a few weeks, depending mainly on how quickly the title checks and site visit can be arranged. After that, the legal work for a plot sale in West Bromwich often runs for a few months, driven by the lender’s consent and any covenant or access questions. The appraisal costs you nothing, and you can stop at any point before exchange.
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.
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.
- 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 West Bromwich
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a West Bromwich 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.
How much is a garden plot in West Bromwich 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.
What if my West Bromwich 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 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in West Bromwich?
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 West Bromwich
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning

