- Planning authority
- London Borough of Islington
- Postcodes
- EC1V, N1, N1C, N5, N7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
Before you decide in Islington
The London Borough of Islington is the body that decides whether homes can replace the garages or yard, and the council’s Local Plan is the main yardstick it uses, alongside national policy and its own highways guidance. Parking standards, lane widths and distances to neighbouring windows are the usual sticking points on garage sites.
So we start there. Before any layout is drawn, we read the policies that apply to your site and, where useful, ask the council for an early view. Access and parking questions are then answered in the design, not left for the planning officer to raise.
The next steps, locally
Tell us where the garages or yard are in Islington and how the land is used now. From there we review the London Borough of Islington’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.
- Rights of way over the court or lane can limit what you can build, and some arise from long use rather than the title.
- Asbestos, contamination and bat surveys add cost and time before demolition can start.
Questions about garden plots in Islington
Is the lane to my Islington 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.
Can neighbours in Islington block a garage court scheme?
Neighbours are consulted and can object, and those with a legal right of way over the court have rights the scheme must respect. Objections alone don’t decide the outcome. We map every right first and design to keep routes open where they are needed.
Can you build homes on my yard in Islington if I keep it?
Yes. You keep ownership while we handle the lot: surveys, demolition of the old buildings, design, the planning application, construction and the structural warranty that buyers’ lenders tend to need. A written quote is given once design and survey are complete; guide prices before then are only guides.
Will you buy my garages in Islington 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.
Other options in Islington
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots