New rules and fees for buying land from city council

Phil Corrigan explains why the changes have been brought in

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NEW rules and fees have been introduced for the sale of council land in Stoke-on-Trent.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council say the 'application to buy' procedures will ensure a 'consistent' approach whenever the authority receives unsolicited bids to purchase land and property.

They say the council is receiving a growing number of 'ad hoc' inquiries from residents and businesses, which is taking up officer time and potentially costing taxpayers. At the moment the council can sometimes receive bids to buy small parcels of land, such as a grass verge next to a homeowner's property, where the sale price will not cover the cost of processing the application.