Backland Development
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Sell your garden plot subject to planning in the West Midlands

Waiting for planning before you sell usually means paying for it yourself. A sale subject to planning changes that. We fund and manage the application, normally at our cost, and the contract records the price before the council has decided anything. For homeowners in the West Midlands, that means a known outcome either way: a completed sale at the agreed figure, or the land back in your hands, unsold.

The detail matters, particularly the definition of satisfactory permission and the long-stop date. We explain both plainly, and your own solicitor checks them for you.

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
7
City
Birmingham

What to know in the West Midlands

Surveys can set the timetable for a conditional sale more than the council does. A garden plot in the West Midlands may need a tree survey, a preliminary ecology check, sometimes bat or reptile surveys, and a drainage strategy, because the new home will require a drainage plan the council will want to see. Some ecology work can only be done at certain times of year, which is why the long-stop date should allow for it. We plan the surveys at the outset, fund them as part of the application, and share the results with you.

Planning authorities covering the West Midlands include Birmingham City Council, City of Wolverhampton Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough 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 the West Midlands

Questions about subject to planning in the West Midlands

How is the price set on a conditional sale in the West Midlands?

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 councils decide applications for garden plots in the West Midlands?

Each address falls under one local planning authority, and in the West Midlands the authorities include Birmingham City Council, City of Wolverhampton Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 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.

What is a long-stop date on a sale subject to planning in the West Midlands?

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.

Which national rules apply to a new home in the West Midlands?

Garden schemes here sit under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with the local detail coming from the council’s Local Plan. New homes must also meet the Building Regulations. That affects things such as fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). On drainage you’ll usually need a drainage plan the council will want to see, and land purchases fall under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We check which rules apply to your plot as part of the free appraisal.

Other options in the West Midlands

Everything we cover in the West Midlands

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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