Selling part of your garden for a new home
Yes, you can sell part of your garden to a developer, and in Bournemouth, Poole and the surrounding towns it happens often. What matters is whether a new home could get planning permission: access, the size and shape of the plot, how it would sit next to the neighbours, trees and local protections. We assess that for free and, if it stacks up, buy the plot with or without planning.
Who this is for
- Homeowners with a long or wide garden, or a side plot with its own road frontage
- Owners of a house on a large plot who might sell the whole site for redevelopment
- Neighbours thinking of combining gardens to make one better plot
- Executors or family selling a house with more land than a buyer would usually want
How it works
A postcode and a rough idea of the garden size is enough to start. We look at the plot, access and local planning history.
Our designers and planners check what could realistically get permission and tell you straight, including when the answer is no.
We buy the plot outright, or agree terms subject to planning, and handle the design and application ourselves.
What makes a garden plot work
Every plot is judged on its own merits, but councils tend to look at the same things. A plot is far more likely to work if it has its own safe access to the road (or room to create one), enough depth and width for a home that fits the street, and space to keep reasonable gardens for both the new and the existing house.
The council will also look at overlooking and loss of light for neighbours, the character of the road, protected trees, parking, and any local protections such as a conservation area or the Dorset heathlands rules near protected heaths. We check all of these before we make an offer.
- Access: a driveway or road frontage the plot can use without crossing someone else's land
- Size and shape: room for a home in keeping with the street plus gardens for both properties
- Neighbours: distances that avoid overlooking and loss of light
- Constraints: protected trees, conservation areas, flood zones and protected habitats nearby
Garden land and planning policy
National planning policy treats gardens differently from other land. The National Planning Policy Framework (updated in August 2026) excludes residential gardens in built-up areas from its definition of previously developed (brownfield) land, so a garden plot doesn't get the priority brownfield sites do. It's judged on design and its effect on the street and the neighbours, against the council's local plan. In practice, a well-designed home on a suitable plot can get permission; a cramped one usually won't.
For small housing sites of up to nine homes there is also permission in principle, a two-stage route where the council first agrees the location, land use and amount of development, and the details follow in a technical details consent. It suits some plots and not others; we'll tell you if it's worth using.
Sources: NPPF Annex B: glossary, 'previously developed land' (GOV.UK) · National Planning Policy Framework, August 2026 (GOV.UK) · Permission in principle: planning practice guidance (GOV.UK)
Selling part of a title
If you sell part of your garden, the plot is split off your existing title using HM Land Registry's transfer of part (form TP1), with a plan of the new boundary signed by you. The solicitors also agree any rights the new plot needs, such as access or drainage. It's routine, and we cover the work on our side.
Source: Registered title(s): part transfer, form TP1 (HM Land Registry)
Local examples
Homes we've built on severed gardens and large plots across Dorset and Hampshire.
Questions we're often asked
Is my garden big enough to build a house on?
There's no fixed minimum size. It depends on the plot's shape, access, the size of homes in the street and the distance to neighbours. Send us the address and we'll give you an honest view, usually within a few days.
Do I need planning permission before I sell?
No. We buy plots with or without planning. If there's no permission yet, we can agree a price that's paid when planning is granted, or buy outright at a price that reflects the risk. We'll explain both so you can choose.
Will selling part of my garden affect my house's value?
It can, either way, depending on how much garden you keep and how the new home is designed. It's worth asking a local estate agent to value your house with and without the plot before you decide.
Who pays for the planning application and drawings?
We do. Our in-house designers and planners prepare and submit the application at our cost.
What if my neighbours object?
Neighbours can comment on any application, and the council weighs those comments against planning policy. Good design and early conversations help. We'll talk you through the likely concerns before anything is submitted.
Sources
- NPPF Annex B: glossary, 'previously developed land' (GOV.UK)
- National Planning Policy Framework, August 2026 (GOV.UK)
- Permission in principle: planning practice guidance (GOV.UK)
- Registered title(s): part transfer, form TP1 (HM Land Registry)
Planning rules change. These links were checked when this page was last updated; your council's website has the current position.
Tell us about your garden
No obligation, no pressure. Just a straight answer from the people who make the decisions.
