- Planning authority
- Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- L10, L21, L30
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.7 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Merseyside
How it plays out in Litherland
Back lanes behind homes in L10, L21 and L30 can be public roads, private tracks or a mix of both. If the lane is maintained at public expense, it will be on the list of streets the highway authority keeps, which anyone can check. If it’s private, you need a right to use it with vehicles for a new home.
We check that before planning anything, then look at how Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
From first call to decision
We take a Litherland plot with tricky access forward in three stages. First the legal access, confirmed with your solicitor. Then a layout that answers the questions Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council asks about tandem and backland homes. Then the route you chose, whether that’s a sale, an option or a build. You can stop at any stage before signing.
Free plot appraisal
We start with the access, not the plot: title plans, rights of way, the width on the ground and the route to the road. It’s a desktop check and a conversation, with a site visit if it looks viable, at no cost.
Title and access check
With your solicitor we confirm who owns every strip between the plot and the road, what rights already exist and whether they cover a new home. Any ransom strip or missing right shows up at this stage.
Secure the way in
If a right of way needs widening, a strip needs buying or a neighbour needs to come in, we agree the approach with you and negotiate it, so the terms are settled before planning money is spent.
Planning application
We design a layout that answers the access, privacy and neighbour questions councils ask about tandem and backland plots, then apply. The council consults neighbours and decides, and the decision is always the council’s.
Worth checking early
- Access is usually the deciding factor on these plots, so a large plot with a poor way in may not be a building plot at all.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
Litherland: questions to ask
What if a neighbour in Litherland owns the strip I need to cross?
Then you need their agreement, either to buy the strip or to grant a right of way over it. Terms are negotiated, often as a one-off payment or a share of the value the access creates. Both sides should take legal advice. We can make the approach with you.
Can I get planning permission in Litherland before the access is sorted?
You can apply for planning on land you don’t own, as long as the owners are formally notified. But permission doesn’t give a right to cross anyone’s land. Most of the time it makes sense to agree access terms first, so the permission can actually be used.
How long does sorting access on a Litherland plot usually take?
It varies. Confirming an existing right of way can take a few weeks of solicitor time. Negotiating with a neighbour or a ransom strip owner often takes longer, and depends on how quickly everyone agrees and takes advice. Once we’ve seen the title and the route, we can give you a sensible estimate.
How do I find out if a lane behind my Litherland home is a public road?
The highway authority keeps a list of streets maintained at public expense, and anyone can inspect it free of charge. If the lane isn’t on it, it’s probably private, and you’ll need to know who owns it and whether your title gives a vehicle right of way that would cover a new home.
Other options in Litherland
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning