- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 7
- City
- Chichester
Before you start in West Sussex
Garden schemes tend to draw more comment from neighbours than larger sites, simply because more people live close by. Councils in West Sussex weigh objections against planning policy rather than counting them, but a well-designed scheme that answers privacy, light and access concerns before they are raised has a much easier time. On a sale subject to planning, we design with neighbours in mind from the start. Where it helps, we can talk to adjoining owners before submitting, with your agreement, since you’re the one who lives next to them.
Planning authorities covering West Sussex include Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council, Worthing 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 West Sussex
- Crawley
- Worthing
- Bognor Regis
- Littlehampton
- Horsham
- Haywards Heath
- Chichester
- Burgess Hill
- East Grinstead
- Shoreham-by-Sea
- Lancing
Questions about subject to planning in West Sussex
Is a sale subject to planning legally binding in West Sussex?
Yes, once contracts are exchanged. Both sides are committed to complete if a satisfactory permission is granted by the long-stop date. Before exchange, heads of terms aren’t binding, and either side can walk away. Your own solicitor should review the contract before you sign.
Which councils decide applications for garden plots in West Sussex?
Each address falls under one local planning authority, and in West Sussex the authorities include Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District 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 West Sussex?
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.
How much is a garden plot in West Sussex 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.