- Planning authority
- South Gloucestershire Council
- Postcodes
- BS32, BS34
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Gloucestershire
How it plays out in Bradley Stoke
Some of the strongest conditional sales involve more than one garden. If your plot in Bradley Stoke is a little narrow, a neighbour’s garden beside it may make a better scheme possible, and the same is true in places nearby such as Southmead, Mangotsfield and Horfield. South Gloucestershire Council would then judge one application for the combined site. Each owner can sign a separate conditional contract, linked so that none completes unless the scheme for the whole site is approved.
That needs careful drafting and patience, and it isn’t right for every street. When it does fit, it can turn two awkward plots into one good one.
How we’d take it forward in Bradley Stoke
Getting started takes one message: your address and a rough sketch or description of the land you have in mind. From that we pull the title, look at the planning background and ring you with our view. If a conditional sale looks sensible, we come out to see the garden. Heads of terms follow, and your solicitor reviews them before anything is signed.
Free plot appraisal
We check your title, access, planning history and local policy from our desk, then talk it through with you. If a new home looks realistic, we visit the garden and tell you which route we think suits it best.
Exchange of conditional contracts
Both solicitors agree the contract and the plan of the plot. On exchange, both sides are bound, subject to the planning condition, and our contract is noted on your title so the plot can’t be sold elsewhere.
Planning application
We commission the surveys, prepare the drawings, seek pre-application advice where useful and submit the application, normally at our cost. You see the plans before they go in, and the council makes the decision.
Completion, or you keep your land
Once a satisfactory permission is granted and any challenge period has passed, the sale completes within the agreed time and the plot gets its own title. If permission is refused and the contract ends, the land stays yours.
Worth checking early
- The definition of satisfactory permission and the long-stop date decide how certain the sale really is; read both closely.
- The plot can’t be sold to anyone else while the contract runs, even if another offer comes along.
- Once contracts are exchanged you are committed to sell if a satisfactory permission is granted.
Your questions, answered for Bradley Stoke
How long might a sale subject to planning take in Bradley Stoke?
It usually runs for months, sometimes longer. Exchange often takes a few months; surveys and drawings take a few more; and the Planning Portal says most applications are decided within eight weeks of being valid, though garden schemes can take longer. The long-stop date sets the outer limit, agreed with you at the start.
Will my neighbours in Bradley Stoke be told about the application?
Yes. South Gloucestershire Council publicises applications through letters to neighbours, a site notice, or both, depending on its practice. Neighbours can comment, and the council weighs their views against planning policy. You can choose whether to speak to adjoining owners before the application goes in, and we’ll fit in with what you prefer.
Is a sale subject to planning in Bradley Stoke better than an option?
It depends on the plot. A conditional sale binds both sides from exchange and suits a single plot with a clear scheme. An option gives us a right to buy rather than an obligation, and suits plots where the outcome is less certain or the timescale is longer. We’ll recommend one after the appraisal.
What if I want to sell my Bradley Stoke house during a conditional sale?
Tell us as early as you can. The conditional contract is noted on your title, so your house buyer’s solicitor will see it. The two sales can usually be arranged together, but the order matters for the legal work and possibly for Capital Gains Tax, so take advice from a tax adviser too.
Other options in Bradley Stoke
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Corner and side plots
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden

