Plot watch: on the edge

Angela and Daniel Foster have discovered a site for sale that could provide the perfect opportunity for their self-build project. Mike Dade explores their options

WHO Angela and Daniel Foster

WHAT An edge-of-settlement site on the market without any form of planning permission attached

WHERE West Sussex

Angela and Daniel Foster have seen a plot of land on the market that would be a great spot for the traditional-style, three-bedroom family house they’d like to build. The site is right on the edge of a town, but doesn’t come with the benefit of planning permission. So what should they do to find out their chances of gaining consent and how should they go about buying the land in this situation?

The plot

The site is on a residential street that has a right-angle bend in it. There are houses on both sides of the road, except on the corner where there’s an empty piece of land with young ash and sycamore trees, surrounded by scrub and with downland beyond.

The space is overgrown with brambles, suggesting that it had been kept clear until a few years ago, and then left to grow wild. There’s a rough track across the front of it and a narrow footpath down one side, but this appears to be a thoroughfare created by dog walkers rather than anything formal. The plot has a narrow frontage to the street, right on the point of the bend. It slopes slightly away from the road and measures about 20m in width and 30m in depth. Physically, it would be well-suited to a single property.