- Planning authority
- Wakefield Council
- Postcodes
- WF5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Yorkshire
Ossett: light, access and policy
Light is often the deciding issue on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Ossett stands about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.8 m across the ground behind it. By late December, with the sun only around 13° up, those shadows stretch much further.
That’s why the gap between your house and any new home matters so much to Wakefield 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
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 Ossett 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.
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.
- 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 house keeps a smaller garden, which some future buyers will welcome and others won’t.
Ossett: questions to ask
Can I sell part of my garden in Ossett 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 Wakefield 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.
What if my Ossett 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 Wakefield Council’s tree officer may comment on any application. We check for protected trees during the appraisal.
Who decides whether a new home can be built in a Ossett garden?
Wakefield 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.
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when I sell a garden plot in Ossett?
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 Ossett
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Planning promotion for your garden plot

