Garden and backland plots wanted in Dorset
We are actively looking for garden and backland plots in Dorset and the surrounding area, with or without planning permission.
A backland plot is land behind existing buildings, usually large rear gardens, reached by a new or existing access. Garden land can sometimes take new homes, especially where several neighbours sell together or a lane runs along the back.
- Size
- 1 to 20 homes typically
- Planning
- Usually without
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional or outright
What garden and backland plots we want near Dorset
Dorset combines the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation with market towns such as Dorchester, Wimborne Minster and Ferndown and a large rural area. Green Belt surrounds the conurbation and extends inland, and the Dorset and Cranborne Chase National Landscapes cover much of the countryside. Typical sites include urban brownfield land, edge-of-town fields, farm buildings and infill plots in villages.
- Long rear gardens backing onto a lane, road or track
- Several neighbouring gardens that could be combined
- Paddocks and orchards behind homes on the edge of a village
- Sites with or without previous applications
Heathland protection around the conurbation means many schemes contribute to mitigation for protected heaths, and Poole Harbour has been subject to nutrient neutrality advice. Weymouth, the wider coast and the river valleys add flood and coastal-change checks, while the A31 and A35 corridors link the main towns.
What decides whether a site in Dorset works
Access width
The drive or road into the plot must be safe for cars, bins and emergency vehicles.
Overlooking
New homes must sit far enough from existing homes to protect privacy.
Mortgage consent
If your home is mortgaged, the lender will usually need to release the garden land.
The August 2026 NPPF supports homes within reasonable walking distance (around 800 metres) of well-connected railway stations, with minimum densities of 35 homes per hectare, or 45 near higher-frequency stations.
In England, a planning permission normally has to be implemented within three years unless the council sets a different period, and councils aim to decide minor applications within eight weeks and major ones within thirteen.
Garden and backland plots wanted in towns across Dorset
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
The usual route: we apply and you only sell if permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractFrom first call to completion
Get in touch
Tell us where the land is and what you know about it.
Site review
We look at the land, its planning position and anything that could affect it.
Proposal
We put our proposal in writing, with no obligation to accept.
Exchange and completion
If you go ahead, contracts are exchanged and the sale completes on the agreed terms.
Garden and backland plots in Dorset: common questions
Do I pay tax on selling garden land?
Tax depends on your circumstances, including how much land you have and how it has been used. Speak to a tax adviser before you agree terms.
My neighbours might sell too. Does that help?
Often, yes. Combining gardens can create a better site and access. We can talk to each owner and keep the arrangement fair.
Can an agent introduce land in Dorset to you?
Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.
Which planning rules apply to land in Dorset?
As Dorset is in England, national policy comes from the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026. Local policies in the council's development plan also apply.