New homes on garage courts and yards in Reigate

Before you give notice to garage tenants in Reigate or pay for drawings, check that the basics stack up. Can the lane take more cars and a bin lorry? Who has the right to cross the court? Is there asbestos in the roofs, or anything in the ground?

Our free appraisal deals with each of those, working from the title, maps and planning records before any visit. By the end you’ll have a clear view of whether to sell or build, roughly how many homes the site might take, and the points Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is likely to press on.

Row of old lock-up garages in a tarmac court behind a terrace of brick houses
Planning authority
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
Postcodes
RH2
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.2 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Surrey

Before you decide in Reigate

Garage courts are usually hemmed in by back gardens, so light becomes a real test. Take 21 March: at noon, Reigate gets sun from about 39° up, which means a wall with 5 m eaves shades a strip of ground about 6.2 m deep behind it. Midwinter is harsher still, with the sun peaking at around 15°.

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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Reigate: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.2 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.2 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Reigate on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.2 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Reigate

From here the pace is yours. A sale only proceeds once heads of terms are in writing and you’re happy with them; a build only proceeds once surveys, design and a written quote are in front of you. Garage tenancies are brought to an end under their own terms, on legal advice. Reigate and Banstead Borough Council then consults neighbours on the application and makes the decision.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 Reigate

Is the lane to my Reigate 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 you build homes on my yard in Reigate 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 neighbours in Reigate 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.

Do I need an asbestos survey for garages in Reigate?

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.

Other options in Reigate

Garage courts and yards near Reigate

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.