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- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
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- Canterbury
Before you start in Kent
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 Kent include Ashford Borough Council, Canterbury City Council, Dartford Borough Council, Dover District Council, Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Medway Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Swale Borough Council, Thanet District Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
How it works
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.
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 Kent
- Maidstone
- Gillingham
- Chatham
- Tunbridge Wells
- Folkestone
- Margate
- Ashford, Kent
- Canterbury
- Sittingbourne
- Gravesend
- Dartford
- Ramsgate
- Dover
- Tonbridge
- Strood
- Whitstable
- Deal
- Sevenoaks
- Rochester
- Herne Bay
- Broadstairs
- Faversham
- Swanley
- Longfield
- Swanscombe
Questions about subject to planning in Kent
What is a long-stop date on a sale subject to planning in Kent?
It is the last date by which a satisfactory planning permission must be granted. If none arrives by then, the contract ends and you keep your land. It is agreed at the start and should allow time for surveys, one application and, where sensible, a resubmission or appeal.
What surveys might a garden plot in Kent need for planning?
Commonly a measured survey, a tree survey and a preliminary ecology check, plus drainage and sometimes flood risk work. Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year, which affects the timetable. On a sale subject to planning, we normally commission and fund these as part of the application.
Do you buy garden plots subject to planning in Kent?
Yes. Where a plot in Kent has a realistic chance of permission, we can agree a conditional contract: price fixed now, completion only once a satisfactory permission is granted. We normally fund the application. If it is refused and the contract ends, you keep your land.
How much is a garden plot in Kent worth?
It depends on location, size, access, title and, above all, planning. Two similar gardens in the same street can be worth very different amounts if one has easy access and the other doesn’t. We don’t quote figures before we’ve looked at a plot properly; the free appraisal is the way to find out.