- Planning authority
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Postcodes
- RG2, RG6, RG41
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Berkshire
Earley: light, access and policy
Getting into the plot often decides whether a joint venture in Earley is worth doing. Wokingham Borough Council will look at the width of the drive past your house, visibility where it meets the road, and the effect of passing cars on the homes either side, including yours.
Bins and emergency access count too, because the build has to allow for fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). If a narrow drive means extra cost or a weaker scheme, that affects the shared result, so we cost access properly before suggesting terms for homes in RG2, RG6 and RG41.
What happens next in Earley
A joint venture in Earley moves through clear stages: appraisal, structure, heads of terms, development agreement, planning, build, then sale or handover. You receive progress and cost reports at agreed points. Timing depends on the council, the build and the market, so we give realistic ranges with each stage rather than fixed dates, and update them as things move.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your title plan, access, neighbouring homes and the council’s planning policies, then talk through what might be built and whether a joint venture or a simpler sale suits you better.
Development agreement
Your own solicitor and ours turn the heads of terms into a binding agreement. Your solicitor advises on the security that fits, such as the land staying in your name until a set stage or a legal charge.
Planning and build
We fund and manage the planning application, Building Regulations approval and construction, reporting costs and progress to you at agreed points. The council decides the application, and building control checks the work.
Sale or handover
The new homes are sold and the proceeds are split as agreed through the solicitors, or your new home is handed over with its warranty, title and certificates in place.
Worth checking early
- Tax can differ from a simple sale of garden land, so take advice from a tax adviser before you sign.
- A joint venture takes longer than any sale: planning, then building, then selling or handover.
- You’ll live next to a building site, and the new home’s design affects your own house and garden.
Earley: questions to ask
Can I take a new home back instead of cash in Earley?
Yes, if the plot can support it. Under a homes-for-land joint venture, one of the finished homes on your plot, or the only one, is transferred to you with its own title and paperwork. The agreement fixes the specification and the timetable.
What if the build on my Earley plot runs late?
The development agreement should set long-stop dates and say which delays are acceptable, such as severe weather, and which aren’t. If a deadline passes without good reason, you should be able to end the agreement. Your solicitor will check your land and share are protected if that happens.
Does my land stay in my name during a joint venture in Earley?
It can. One option keeps the land in your name until an agreed stage, with us building under a licence. Another transfers it earlier with a legal charge in your favour. Your solicitor advises which suits you, bearing in mind that a lender funding the build will want security too.
Can I do a joint venture on my garden in Earley without paying anything?
In the usual structure, yes. You contribute the land, and we fund design, planning, construction and sale. You may still have your own costs, such as tax or your mortgage lender’s charges, so ask your solicitor and tax adviser to go through them before you sign.
Other options in Earley
- Large rear gardens
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Build a new home in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot