- Planning authority
- Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
- Postcodes
- NP13
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- LDP
- County
- Gwent
Abertillery: light, access and policy
Overshadowing is one of the first things a planning officer checks on a garden scheme. In Abertillery, the spring equinox sun reaches only about 38° at midday, which means a 5 m eaves line lays down a shadow around 6.3 m long. Come the shortest day, the sun climbs no higher than roughly 15° and the shade stretches far beyond that.
We model those shadows when we design the scheme, because a home that keeps light off your windows and the neighbours’ gardens is easier for Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to approve. Sometimes that means a lower roof or a home set further back.
What happens next in Abertillery
From first enquiry to exchange of contracts usually takes a few months, set mainly by the solicitors and any title questions. The planning stage then runs on its own timetable, depending on surveys and on Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. We keep you updated throughout, share the drawings before submission and tell you as soon as a decision is issued.
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.
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.
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.
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 plot can’t be sold to anyone else while the contract runs, even if another offer comes along.
- You wait for a planning decision, and possibly an appeal, before you are paid.
- Capital Gains Tax timing on a conditional sale can differ from an ordinary sale; take advice from a tax adviser.
Your questions, answered for Abertillery
What if I want to sell my Abertillery 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.
Is a sale subject to planning in Abertillery 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.
Do I pay for the planning application on my Abertillery garden plot?
We normally fund the planning application, including surveys and drawings. Any recovery of those costs is agreed in heads of terms before you sign, for example as a deduction from the price at completion. You see the full position before instructing a solicitor, so there are no surprises later.
Who decides the planning application on a conditional sale in Abertillery?
That is Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s decision as the local planning authority, made under the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) and Planning Policy Wales (PPW). We prepare the application, submit it and answer the council’s questions, but the outcome isn’t ours to control. That’s why the contract has a long-stop date and says what happens if permission is refused.
Other options in Abertillery
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Sell part of your garden
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Build a new home in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design