- Planning authority
- Chichester District Council
- Postcodes
- PO19, PO20
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Sussex
The local picture in Chichester
Garage courts near you, whether in Chichester or in Bognor Regis, Emsworth and Hayling Island, 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 Chichester District Council has adopted. We check those and the history of nearby courts, so your scheme begins from a realistic footing.
How we’d take it forward in Chichester
Tell us where the garages or yard are in Chichester and how the land is used now. From there we review Chichester District Council’s policies, past applications close by and the title, looking for rights of way, covenants and charges. If nothing stands in the way, we’ll arrange to meet you on site and walk the lane and the court together.
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.
Chichester: questions to ask
Is the lane to my Chichester 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 Chichester 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.
Who has the final say on a Chichester garage court scheme?
Chichester District 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.
Can I build houses on my garage block in Chichester?
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 Chichester District Council’s decision. A free appraisal shows whether the site merits going further.
Other options in Chichester
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Sell part of your garden