- Planning authority
- Medway Council
- Postcodes
- ME1, ME4, ME5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
How it plays out in Chatham
Garage blocks behind homes vary from a few lock-ups off a short drive to long courts serving whole streets, and a site in ME1, ME4 and ME5 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 Chatham, in places like Gillingham, Rochester and Strood, 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
Here’s what happens after you contact us about a garage site in Chatham. We look at the title plan, maps and the planning history, then call you to talk through who uses the garages and the lane. If the site looks viable we visit, check access, buildings and neighbours, and send a plain summary of the options, with no obligation.
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
- Asbestos, contamination and bat surveys add cost and time before demolition can start.
- A narrow or unadopted lane can restrict the number of homes, or require sprinklers, a turning space or bin collection point.
- If garage income stops before a sale or build completes, you lose that income in the meantime.
Your questions, answered for Chatham
Can you build homes on my yard in Chatham 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.
Can I build houses on my garage block in Chatham?
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 Medway Council’s decision. A free appraisal shows whether the site merits going further.
Do I need an asbestos survey for garages in Chatham?
Yes, before demolition. Health and Safety Executive guidance says a refurbishment and demolition survey must find asbestos before structural work begins. Older garage roofs are often asbestos cement sheeting. Specialists carry out the survey and removal, and we build both into the plan.
Who has the final say on a Chatham garage court scheme?
Medway 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.
Other options in Chatham
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Large rear gardens
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell subject to planning