- Planning authority
- Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- B62, B63
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
What the council will look at in Halesowen
Overshadowing is one of the first things a planning officer checks on a garden scheme. In Halesowen, the spring equinox sun reaches only about 38° at midday, which means a 5 m eaves line lays down a shadow around 6.5 m long. Come the shortest day, the sun climbs no higher than roughly 14° 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 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council to approve. Sometimes that means a lower roof or a home set further back.
How we’d take it forward in Halesowen
After you get in touch about a garden in Halesowen, we run the free appraisal and explain which route we would recommend. If it is a sale subject to planning, we draft heads of terms covering the price, the scheme, the long-stop date and costs. Once your solicitor is happy and contracts are exchanged, we begin the planning work.
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 definition of satisfactory permission and the long-stop date decide how certain the sale really is; read both closely.
- Once contracts are exchanged you are committed to sell if a satisfactory permission is granted.
- Capital Gains Tax timing on a conditional sale can differ from an ordinary sale; take advice from a tax adviser.
Questions about garden plots in Halesowen
Do I pay for the planning application on my Halesowen 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.
Will my neighbours in Halesowen be told about the application?
Yes. Dudley Metropolitan 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.
Do I keep my garden in Halesowen 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.
How long might a sale subject to planning take in Halesowen?
It usually runs for months, sometimes longer. Exchange often takes a few months; surveys and drawings take a few more; and the Planning Portal says most applications are decided within eight weeks of being valid, though garden schemes can take longer. The long-stop date sets the outer limit, agreed with you at the start.
Other options in Halesowen
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Large rear gardens

