- Planning authority
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Postcodes
- SL9
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Buckinghamshire
What shapes a plot in Gerrards Cross
Every joint venture on a garden in Gerrards Cross depends on planning permission from Buckinghamshire Council, and that starts with the council’s Local Plan. We read its policies on garden land, design and parking before proposing terms, and we look at how the council has decided similar plots nearby.
If the policies are against a plot, a joint venture would only add delay, so we say so early. If they support it, we design the scheme to answer them directly and agree with you the points that affect your own home, such as window positions facing your house.
From first call to decision
A joint venture in Gerrards Cross 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.
Choose the structure
We explain the options side by side: a share of sale proceeds, a share of profit, a home back for your land, or a land payment plus a share. You choose what fits your plans and appetite for risk.
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.
- Your return isn’t fixed. It depends on build costs, sale prices and timing, unless you choose a structure with a fixed element.
Gerrards Cross: questions to ask
Can my neighbours join a joint venture in Gerrards Cross?
Yes. Combining adjoining gardens can give a better layout and one shared access. Each owner keeps their house, has their own solicitor and signs up to a collaboration agreement setting out how the result is shared, including fair treatment for the garden that provides the access.
What if the build on my Gerrards Cross 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.
Can I take a new home back instead of cash in Gerrards Cross?
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.
Who decides planning for a joint venture plot in Gerrards Cross?
Buckinghamshire Council decides, using the council’s Local Plan and national policy in the NPPF. We prepare and fund the application and deal with the council’s questions, but no developer can promise the outcome. If planning is refused, you keep your land, and in the usual structure the planning costs stay with us.
Other options in Gerrards Cross
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning