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For landowners · Somerset

Sell Garden Land and Backland in Nailsea

Can I sell part of my garden for development in Nailsea?

Backland sites in Nailsea often stretch across several gardens, so the strongest schemes involve neighbours working together. Land to Homes can buy a single plot directly, subject to survey, title and contract, or bring adjoining owners into one deal with a fair way of sharing proceeds, so a single shared access serves everyone.

Aerial view of open farmland with hedgerows on the edge of a townNailsea · BS48

Free 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 Nailsea

Nailsea (BS48) is one of the Somerset towns we cover, about 18 miles west of Bath. Close by, our coverage also takes in Portishead, Clevedon and Kingswood. Nailsea is part of England’s South West region.

Sites worth a conversation around Nailsea: redundant agricultural buildings, land that already has planning permission and small holdings and pony paddocks. In England, where Nailsea sits, planning decisions are made by the local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority).

Tell us where your land is around Nailsea and we will explain the routes open to you.

How we work in Nailsea

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.

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.

Mortgage lender consent

If your house is mortgaged, the lender's charge usually covers the whole garden. You will normally need the lender to release the part being sold, which your solicitor arranges as part of the sale.

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.

Planning in Nailsea: the English rules

In England, most planning applications for new homes in Nailsea are decided by the local planning authority, usually the council, using its Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. Many landowners sell without planning, either outright or through an option or promotion agreement that funds the application first. Land to Homes offers a free site appraisal, pays your reasonable legal fees on option and promotion agreements, and can buy suitable sites directly, subject to survey, title and contract.

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).

Key rules in Nailsea
Local planning documentLocal Plan
Who decides applicationsThe 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)
Developer contributionsSection 106 planning obligations, plus the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) where the council charges it

Your questions answered for Nailsea

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.

What if my title has a covenant against building?

A restrictive covenant can prevent or limit new homes even when planning permission is granted. Options include negotiating a release with whoever benefits from it, indemnity insurance where enforcement looks unlikely, or applying to the relevant tribunal to modify or discharge it. Take legal advice early, because it affects any buyer.

Will selling part of my garden affect the value of my house?

It can. A smaller garden, a new drive alongside your home or a new neighbour closer to your boundary may reduce its value, even though the sale brings in money. A local estate agent can advise on the effect on your house, so you can weigh the two together before deciding.

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.

Is Nailsea an area you cover for land?

Yes, we cover land in Nailsea and elsewhere in Somerset, including Portishead, Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. Where a site suits us we can buy it directly, or set up an option or promotion agreement. On promotion there is nothing to pay upfront.

Read more: Sell Garden Land and Backland · Guide: Overage and clawback: how they work when you sell land

Own land that could take new homes?

Start with a free, no-obligation site appraisal. On option and promotion agreements we fund the planning work and pay your reasonable legal fees.

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