- Planning authority
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- DY4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
Before you decide in Tipton
Overshadowing is one of the first things a planning officer checks on a garden scheme. In Tipton, the spring equinox sun reaches only about 37° 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 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council to approve. Sometimes that means a lower roof or a home set further back.
How we’d take it forward in Tipton
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 Sandwell Metropolitan 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
- Capital Gains Tax timing on a conditional sale can differ from an ordinary sale; take advice from a tax adviser.
- You wait for a planning decision, and possibly an appeal, before you are paid.
- The definition of satisfactory permission and the long-stop date decide how certain the sale really is; read both closely.
Your questions, answered for Tipton
Can I still use my garden in Tipton while the contract runs?
Yes. The plot stays yours until completion, so you carry on using it as garden. The contract will ask you not to build on it, fell trees or grant new rights over it without agreement, and to allow surveyors in from time to time, by arrangement. Your solicitor will point out anything specific.
Do I keep my garden in Tipton 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 Tipton 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 Tipton 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.
Other options in Tipton
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden