Sell Garden Land and Backland in Colne
Selling part of your garden in Colne for a new home can work well, but the details decide it: the width and route of the access, overlooking, trees, drainage and any covenants on your title. Land to Homes gives a free, no-obligation appraisal and tells you plainly if the plot is unlikely to get permission.
Colne · BB8Free site appraisal
Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.
- Free site appraisalNo cost, no obligation
- Legal fees coveredReasonable fees, on options and promotion
- Nothing to pay upfrontOn promotion: we fund planning
- Direct purchaseSuitable sites, with or without planning
- UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI
Our coverage in Colne
About 23 miles east of Preston, Colne is part of our Lancashire coverage, centred on postcode district BB8. Close by, our coverage also takes in Nelson, Burnley and Accrington. Colne is part of England’s North West region.
In and around Colne, the land we appraise ranges from redundant commercial buildings to farmland next to the settlement boundary, including redundant agricultural buildings. Because Colne is in England, land titles are registered with HM Land Registry and transfers attract Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).
A postcode and a rough boundary are enough for us to start a free appraisal of land near Colne.
What you get in Colne
Trees and ecology checked
Mature gardens can hold protected trees, bats in outbuildings or nesting birds. We check tree preservation orders and conservation area status, and plan any surveys for the right season.
Your retained house matters
Selling part of a garden changes the house you keep: outside space, parking, privacy and value. We look at any scheme from your side as well as from the buyer's.
Option and promotion routes
If the plot needs planning first, an option or promotion agreement lets us fund the application. On both, we pay your reasonable legal fees, with the amount agreed up front in the heads of terms.
Access comes first
Most garden schemes stand or fall on access. The drive must be wide enough for cars, refuse collection and emergency vehicles, with safe visibility at the road, under the highway authority's design guidance.
How the rules work in Colne
Land with no planning permission can still be sold. Around Colne, the usual routes in England are a direct sale, an option agreement or a promotion agreement, where the planning work is funded for you and the land is sold once consent is granted. Outline planning permission settles the principle, with reserved matters approved later. Section 106 obligations, the Community Infrastructure Levy where charged and biodiversity net gain all affect what a site is worth, so independent advice matters.
In England, the NPPF excludes private residential gardens in built-up areas from its definition of previously developed land, and many Local Plans have specific garden development policies. Recent changes exempt many very small sites from biodiversity net gain, subject to conditions. Restrictive covenants can be modified or discharged by the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).
| Who decides applications | The local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority) |
|---|---|
| Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer) | Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) |
| Land registration | HM Land Registry |
| How a sale becomes binding | A land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, after which the buyer registers the title with HM Land Registry. |
Common questions in Colne
Can I sell part of my garden to a developer?
Yes, if the land can support a new home with safe access and acceptable impact on neighbours. The land is split from your title and sold with rights of way and services set out in the transfer. If your house is mortgaged, your lender will need to consent and release the part being sold.
What is tandem development?
Tandem development is a new house placed directly behind an existing one, sharing or running alongside the same access. Councils often resist it because of noise and disturbance from cars passing the front house and overlooking between the two. A wider plot with its own access is usually viewed more positively.
Should I team up with my neighbours to sell garden land?
Often it helps. Several gardens together can support a better-planned scheme with one shared access, which councils tend to prefer to separate plots. A collaboration agreement sets out how proceeds are shared, usually by area, so no one loses out because of where the access road happens to go.
How wide does an access drive need to be for a new house?
There is no single figure for the whole UK. The local highway authority's design guidance sets widths for private drives, passing places and visibility at the junction, and building regulations cover access for fire service vehicles. We check the standards your council applies before estimating what a plot could take.
Do you buy land in Colne?
Yes. Land to Homes looks at land in Colne and elsewhere in Lancashire, including Blackpool, Leyland and Fleetwood. Every enquiry starts with a free site appraisal, and on option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees.
Read more: Sell Garden Land and Backland · Guide: Selling part of your garden: what you need to know