- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 6
- City
- Cambridge
How councils in Cambridgeshire look at it
A joint venture build in Cambridgeshire must meet the Building Regulations as well as planning. Fire safety is part of that, and in practice it means planning 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). Drainage also has to be planned early, and for garden plots that usually means a drainage plan the council will want to see. These costs sit inside the project in a joint venture, so they affect the result you share in, which is why we price them carefully, with the surveys to back them, before proposing any terms to you.
Planning authorities covering Cambridgeshire include Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council.
How it works
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.
Heads of terms
The key terms go in writing: who funds what, your share or the home you receive, how your land is protected, deadlines, open-book reporting and what happens if planning is refused or the build stalls.
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.
Garden plot joint venture in towns across Cambridgeshire
Questions about garden plot joint venture in Cambridgeshire
Do joint venture homes in Cambridgeshire need a warranty?
New homes usually need a 10-year structural warranty, because buyers’ mortgage lenders generally ask for one, though some accept an architect’s or surveyor’s certificate. It’s arranged as part of the build. If you take a home back, you should receive it with its warranty, building control completion certificate and its own title.
Which councils decide joint venture schemes in Cambridgeshire?
The council where the land sits decides; the authorities serving Cambridgeshire include Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough City Council and other councils. It applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) together with its own Local Plan. We check the relevant policies and nearby decisions before proposing any joint venture terms.
How is my land protected in a joint venture in Cambridgeshire?
Your solicitor advises on the right protection. Options include keeping the land in your name until an agreed stage, a legal charge if it transfers, a title restriction, long-stop dates, step-in rights and sale proceeds paid through the solicitors in an agreed order.
Can you build a new home in my garden in Cambridgeshire for me to keep?
Yes. Through our design and build route we survey your plot, design a new home with you, apply for planning and, once permission is granted, build it. You keep the land and the new home, to sell, let or use for family. You get a written quote after design and survey, and any earlier guide price is a guide only.