- Planning authority
- Canterbury City Council
- Postcodes
- CT5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
What the council will look at in Whitstable
Garage blocks behind homes vary from a few lock-ups off a short drive to long courts serving whole streets, and a site in CT5 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 Whitstable, in places like Herne Bay, Canterbury and Faversham, 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.
From first call to decision
A garage enquiry from Whitstable can open with a phone call and a handful of photos showing the court, the lane and the roofs. We then run a desktop check and visit if the site deserves it. Sellers move on to heads of terms, handled by their solicitor; owners who want to build move on to surveys, design and a written quote.
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.
Site checks and layout
We look at the access lane, the buildings, likely asbestos and contamination, drains and neighbours’ windows, then sketch what could realistically fit, from one home to a small group, or nothing at all.
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.
Worth checking early
- Ending garage tenancies or licences takes time, and some tenants may have legal protection; get legal advice before serving notice.
- Asbestos, contamination and bat surveys add cost and time before demolition can start.
- Rights of way over the court or lane can limit what you can build, and some arise from long use rather than the title.
Whitstable: questions to ask
Do I need an asbestos survey for garages in Whitstable?
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 Whitstable garage court scheme?
Canterbury City 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.
Will you buy my garages in Whitstable 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.
Can you build homes on my yard in Whitstable 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.
Other options in Whitstable
- Corner and side plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
- Bungalows on large plots