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Lancashire: the planning picture
Ground conditions on old yards in Lancashire need checking before any design is settled. Fuel storage, vehicle repairs or burning on site can leave contamination, and many councils ask for an assessment with the application or as a condition. Older garage roofs often contain asbestos cement, which has to be surveyed and removed safely before demolition. New homes also need a drainage plan the council will want to see. These are known costs, and finding them early keeps the scheme realistic.
Planning authorities covering Lancashire include Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackpool Council, Burnley Borough Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancaster City Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council, Rossendale Borough Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council, Wyre Council.
How it works
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.
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.
Garage courts and yards in towns across Lancashire
- Preston
- Burnley
- Blackburn
- Blackpool
- Morecambe
- Lancaster
- Lytham St Annes
- Skelmersdale
- Leyland
- Accrington
- Chorley
- Darwen
- Thornton-Cleveleys
- Nelson, Lancashire
- Fleetwood
- Ormskirk
- Penwortham
- Rawtenstall
- Colne
- Poulton-le-Fylde
- Heysham
- Haslingden
Questions about garage courts and yards in Lancashire
Do fire and drainage rules limit garage sites in Lancashire?
They can. The lane and layout have to provide for fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough), and for drainage you’ll need a drainage plan the council will want to see. On a tight court those two requirements can decide how many homes fit, so we check them before fixing any layout.
Can several garage owners sell together in Lancashire?
Yes. Where a block is owned by several people, combining the garages can create a site large enough for new homes with a single access. An agreement sets out how the value is shared and what happens to each owner’s parking, before anyone commits.
Could I keep my garage site in Lancashire and have homes built on it?
Yes. Keeping the site and having us design the homes, seek planning and build them is one route. The other is to sell: outright, subject to planning, or through an option. A free appraisal of the site comes first, and we explain how each route would work for you.
How much is a garden plot in Lancashire worth?
It depends on location, size, access, title and, above all, planning. Two similar gardens in the same street can be worth very different amounts if one has easy access and the other doesn’t. We don’t quote figures before we’ve looked at a plot properly; the free appraisal is the way to find out.