Backland Development
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Sell your garden plot subject to planning in Greater London

Some homeowners in Greater London want more than an outright sale price but don’t want to fund or run a planning application themselves. Selling subject to planning is designed for that position. The price, or a formula for it, is fixed before exchange; we carry the planning work; and you are paid on completion once permission is in place.

The waiting is the trade-off. A council decision, and sometimes a resubmission or appeal, all sit between exchange and completion, inside a long-stop date agreed at the outset. Our free appraisal tells you whether a plot looks strong enough for this route before anyone signs anything.

Get a free appraisalAbout subject to planning
Site plan and house elevation drawings on a kitchen table with the back garden beyond the window
Nation
England
National planning policy
NPPF
Planning authorities
33
City
London

Greater London: the planning picture

Pre-application advice can save months on a garden plot. Many councils offer it, usually for a fee, and a written response from a planning officer shows early whether the principle of a new home is acceptable and what the council wants changed. On a conditional sale we normally arrange and fund this before submitting. It isn’t binding on the council, and it doesn’t replace the formal application, but it often shapes the drawings, and it helps both sides judge whether the long-stop date gives enough room.

Planning authorities covering Greater London include City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Hillingdon, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest, London Borough of Wandsworth, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Westminster City Council.

How it works

  1. 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.

  2. Heads of terms

    We set out the price or price formula, what counts as satisfactory permission, the long-stop date, how any planning costs are treated and who pays which fees. You see all of it before instructing a solicitor.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Subject to planning in towns across Greater London

Questions about subject to planning in Greater London

Which councils decide applications for garden plots in Greater London?

Each address falls under one local planning authority, and in Greater London the authorities include City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent and other councils. Every one of them works to its own Local Plan alongside the NPPF, and some add guidance specifically on garden development, so we shape each scheme around the policies of the council that will judge it.

Is a sale subject to planning legally binding in Greater London?

Yes, once contracts are exchanged. Both sides are committed to complete if a satisfactory permission is granted by the long-stop date. Before exchange, heads of terms aren’t binding, and either side can walk away. Your own solicitor should review the contract before you sign.

How is the price set on a conditional sale in Greater London?

Either as a fixed figure or as a formula linked to the permission granted, for example the number or size of homes allowed. Many formulas include a minimum price. Any cost recovery is written into heads of terms before you sign, so you see the full calculation from the outset.

Which council decides planning for a garden plot in Greater London?

The council for your address decides. The planning authorities covering Greater London include City of London Corporation, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent and other councils. Each judges applications against its own Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), together with its design guidance. We prepare and submit the application and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is always the council’s, never ours.

Other options in Greater London

Everything we cover in Greater London

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

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