- Planning authority
- Central Bedfordshire Council
- Postcodes
- LU4, LU5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Bedfordshire
Houghton Regis: light, access and policy
Garage blocks behind homes vary from a few lock-ups off a short drive to long courts serving whole streets, and a site in LU4 and LU5 could be either. The size of the site, the width of the lane and how many neighbours back onto it decide what could fit, not the number of garages.
Owners just outside Houghton Regis, in places like Dunstable, Luton and Leighton Buzzard, face the same questions. We look at the lane, the rights over it and the distance to neighbouring windows first, then sketch options from a single home to a small group.
The next steps, locally
Tell us where the garages or yard are in Houghton Regis and how the land is used now. From there we review Central Bedfordshire Council’s policies, past applications close by and the title, looking for rights of way, covenants and charges. If nothing stands in the way, we’ll arrange to meet you on site and walk the lane and the court together.
Free site appraisal
We look at the site on maps, the title plan and the planning history, then talk through who uses it now. If it looks workable we visit. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Rights and title review
We map who has rights over the court and lane, which garages are let and on what terms, and whether any covenants, charges or strips of land you don’t own could block a scheme.
Choose your route
Sell the site outright or subject to planning, grant an option, or keep it and have us design, get planning for and build. Garage tenancies and licences are ended properly before any work starts.
Planning, then sale or build
We prepare and submit the application and the council decides. If you sell, your solicitor handles the transfer. If you build, a written quote follows design and survey, then demolition and construction.
Worth checking early
- Neighbours whose gardens back onto the court are consulted and may object; the council decides.
- Ending garage tenancies or licences takes time, and some tenants may have legal protection; get legal advice before serving notice.
- If garage income stops before a sale or build completes, you lose that income in the meantime.
Your questions, answered for Houghton Regis
Will you buy my garages in Houghton Regis with tenants in them?
Possibly. Any purchase is subject to survey, title and contract, with or without planning in place. Existing tenancies and licences must be brought to an end properly under their own terms, and when that happens forms part of the agreed deal. Get legal advice before any notice is served.
Who has the final say on a Houghton Regis garage court scheme?
Central Bedfordshire Council, as the local planning authority. Officers weigh the scheme against the council’s Local Plan and national policy, plus highways and design guidance, after hearing from neighbours and the highway authority. We put the application together and answer the officer’s questions, yet the verdict is never ours to give.
Can I build houses on my garage block in Houghton Regis?
Possibly, if the lane works for cars, bins and emergency access, neighbours’ privacy and light are protected, and rights over the site can be dealt with. Homes there need planning permission, which is Central Bedfordshire Council’s decision. A free appraisal shows whether the site merits going further.
Is the lane to my Houghton Regis garages wide enough?
It depends on the lane, the number of homes and local highway standards. The council will look at width, visibility at the street and the effect on neighbours. Fire and bin access matter too. A narrow lane may limit the number of homes rather than ruling the site out.
Other options in Houghton Regis
- Sell subject to planning
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Large rear gardens