Buying or accessing council land and garages

We do not normally accept offers to sell off small plots of land.

This includes land that we class as:

public open space, including parks and green spaces
sports and recreational grounds and playing fields
play areas
woodlands and nature reserves
allotments

This means that if you would like to buy public land, (such as land next to your property to extend it) we would usually decline. This allows us to protect open space from development.

The process for selling land is also complex and takes up a disproportionate amount of officer time, meaning such sales are not economically viable.

In the rare circumstances where we do sell land, the minimum value is £15,000, plus £2,500 towards our legal and professional fees.

You can enquire about a land purchase by contacting us.

You will need to include:

a plan of the land
any useful photographs
why you want to buy the land

We only hold records of land that we own.

You can view a map of our land and building assets or download our Land and Buildings Register.

If we don’t own a piece of land, we will not be able to tell you who does own it, as those are nationally-held records. You can find out who does own a piece of land via HM Land Registry.

We own a small number of garages in Fifth Avenue and Avon Road, which are all currently occupied. Our waiting list is also closed for the time being.

You may also be able to rent a garage from CHP, a local social housing provider.

If you want to install a dropped kerb to access to your property and the access crosses our land, you need to ask us for permission. You will also need to separately apply for planning permission and get consent from the Essex County Council, as the local highway authority.

This is called an easement, which is a permanent right of access over our land. It also allows you to make planned alterations to the land. However, it does not give you ownership of the land or rights to use it in any other way, or for any other purpose.

If we grant you an easement, it gives a permanent right of way that will transfer with your property if you sell it.

We calculate the cost of an easement based on the market value of your property. We will charge 1% of the property value for a single access, plus a contribution towards our legal and professional fees.

If you would like to apply for an easement for a dropped kerb, you can contact us. You will need to include details of your proposal together with a site plan and photographs of the affected area.

You can also find out about applying for planning permission for dropped kerbs.

If you require access to our land to install utilities, you can contact us , sending full details of your request.

If we previously owned your property, it is likely that there are restrictive covenants in place. This means the title deeds will contain details of certain restrictions and obligations on the owner.

If we have put a covenant on your property, you will need to ask us for permission if you want to:

carry out building work to extend your home
create a new dwelling in the grounds

If this is the case, you need to contact us, and include full details of your proposals.

When we review your application, we may charge a compensation payment, plus a contribution towards our legal and professional fees.