- Planning authority
- Havant Borough Council
- Postcodes
- PO9
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hampshire
What shapes a plot in Havant
Some of the strongest conditional sales involve more than one garden. If your plot in Havant 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 Emsworth, Waterlooville and Hayling Island. Havant Borough 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.
From first call to decision
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 Havant 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.
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.
Worth checking early
- The plot can’t be sold to anyone else while the contract runs, even if another offer comes along.
- Capital Gains Tax timing on a conditional sale can differ from an ordinary sale; take advice from a tax adviser.
- The definition of satisfactory permission and the long-stop date decide how certain the sale really is; read both closely.
Your questions, answered for Havant
Who decides the planning application on a conditional sale in Havant?
That is Havant Borough Council’s decision as the local planning authority, made under the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 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.
Do I keep my garden in Havant if planning is refused?
Yes. Nothing is transferred until a satisfactory permission is granted, so a refusal leaves the land in your ownership. Depending on the contract, we may revise the scheme and reapply, or appeal, before the long-stop date. If that doesn’t succeed, the contract ends and our notice comes off your title.
Is a sale subject to planning in Havant 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.
Will my neighbours in Havant be told about the application?
Yes. Havant Borough 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.
Other options in Havant
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Sell part of your garden
- Plot feasibility and design

