- Planning authority
- St Helens Borough Council
- Postcodes
- L35, WA9, WA10, WA11, WN5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.7 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Merseyside
St Helens: light, access and policy
Garage courts are usually hemmed in by back gardens, so light becomes a real test. Take 21 March: at noon, St Helens gets sun from about 37° up, which means a wall with 5 m eaves shades a strip of ground about 6.7 m deep behind it. Midwinter is harsher still, with the sun peaking at around 13°.
That explains why low homes, often single-storey or with rooms tucked into the roof, suit so many courts. We plot the shadows for your actual site and shape the buildings so surrounding gardens hold on to their light.
How we’d take it forward in St Helens
A garage enquiry from St Helens 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.
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
- Rights of way over the court or lane can limit what you can build, and some arise from long use rather than the title.
- If garage income stops before a sale or build completes, you lose that income in the meantime.
- Ending garage tenancies or licences takes time, and some tenants may have legal protection; get legal advice before serving notice.
St Helens: questions to ask
Will you buy my garages in St Helens 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 I build houses on my garage block in St Helens?
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 St Helens Borough Council’s decision. A free appraisal shows whether the site merits going further.
What does it cost to have my St Helens garage site assessed?
Nothing. Our assessment is free, with no obligation. We review the title, maps and planning history and speak to you before deciding whether a visit is worthwhile. You’re only committed after choosing a route and agreeing terms set out in writing.
Can you build homes on my yard in St Helens 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 St Helens
- Large rear gardens
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Plot feasibility and design
- Build a new home in your garden