- Planning authority
- Gateshead Council
- Postcodes
- NE16
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Tyne and Wear
The local picture in Whickham
Garage courts near you, whether in Whickham or in Blaydon-on-Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, may already have been turned into homes. Where that has happened, it hints at what the council will accept, but no earlier decision binds it and each scheme is weighed afresh against current policy.
The local rules sit in the council’s Local Plan, together with whatever design or parking guidance Gateshead Council has adopted. We check those and the history of nearby courts, so your scheme begins from a realistic footing.
From first call to decision
A garage enquiry from Whickham 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.
- A narrow or unadopted lane can restrict the number of homes, or require sprinklers, a turning space or bin collection point.
Whickham: questions to ask
Can you build homes on my yard in Whickham 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.
What does it cost to have my Whickham 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.
Will you buy my garages in Whickham 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 neighbours in Whickham 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.
Other options in Whickham
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens