We may consider selling certain types of council land, including small areas of council land within housing estates, garages and surplus land.
Small areas of council land within housing estates
We will consider selling small plots of land next to residential homes.
For full details on the type of land we will and will not dispose of, read our disposal of land within housing estates policy (pdf)
You can apply to purchase council land online. To complete the application, you will need:
- photos of the land
- a sketch showing the dimensions and position of the land you are applying for in relation to your property
- to indicate the boundary features and their dimensions, particularly the height, if you intend to enclose the land with walls or fences
- to be aware of the fees involved if your application progresses - application fee £240, valuation fee £360, legal fee £350 and planning permission fee (you can use the Planning Portal fee calculator for a full planning application for 'other material change of use of a building or land')
Land application process
Initial assessment
Once you’ve submitted the application, we will check whether the land is owned by the council and if the land is within the scope of our policy. There are no fees to pay at this stage. This usually takes 4 weeks.
Land application
If the land is council-owned and is within the policy scope, we will then process your application and decide if it meets the criteria for sale. At this stage, you will need to pay the land application fee of £240. This usually takes 4 weeks, unless a Cabinet decision is required.
Planning application
If the land sale criteria are met we will send you a provisional offer. We will ask you to submit a full planning application for the change of use from public to private. You will need to pay the planning application fees - you can use the Planning Portal fee calculator for a full planning application for 'other material change of use of a building or land'. This usually takes 8 weeks.
Land valuation
Once you have agreed to the provisional offer and received planning approval we will instruct an independent RICS qualified valuer to find out the value of the land. You will need to pay the valuation fee of £360. This usually takes 3 weeks.
Valuation offer
Once we receive the valuation, we will send you the valuation offer for your approval. We will ask for your solicitor’s details at this stage.
Legal exchange and completion
Once you have accepted the valuation we will instruct Harlow Council Legal Services to draft the legal documents and send them to your solicitors for approval.
Following approval from your solicitors, the signed transfer is registered at HM Land Registry and the process ends. You will need to pay the legal fee of £350. This usually takes 4 to 8 weeks.
Fees quoted above are subject to regular review and are correct as of February 2024
Garage sales
We are not currently selling our rented garages.
Council surplus land
We regularly review our property portfolio. Land or buildings surplus to requirements is generally advertised for sale locally and nationally.
You can look at our brownfield land register for a list of suitable residential development sites.