Garden plot joint ventures in March

A joint venture is one way to develop a garden plot in March without selling it outright or paying for a build yourself. You put in the land behind or beside your house, and we fund and manage the design, planning application and construction. In return you share in the result, as an agreed share of the sale proceeds or a finished home handed back to you.

You keep your house throughout. Before anything is signed, your own solicitor reviews the heads of terms and advises on the protection that suits you, such as the land staying in your name until an agreed stage.

Modern new home with timber cladding at the end of a long garden at dusk, lights on inside
Planning authority
Fenland District Council
Postcodes
PE15
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.5 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cambridgeshire

Before you decide in March

Every joint venture on a garden in March depends on planning permission from Fenland District 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in March: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.5 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 20.0 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of March: around 37° of sun at midday in late March and about 14° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

How we’d take it forward in March

Once you’ve chosen a structure, we draft heads of terms setting out who funds what, your share or the home you receive, deadlines and protections. Your own solicitor reviews them and the development agreement that follows. Only then do we commission surveys and design, agree the key layout points with you, and submit the application to Fenland District Council.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • We’re a new brand within the S&K Group, so ask for open-book reporting and check every protection in writing.
  • You’ll live next to a building site, and the new home’s design affects your own house and garden.
  • Tax can differ from a simple sale of garden land, so take advice from a tax adviser before you sign.

March: questions to ask

What if the build on my March 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 do a joint venture on my garden in March 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.

Can my neighbours join a joint venture in March?

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.

How long does a garden joint venture in March usually take?

Longer than a sale, because planning, building and selling all happen before you receive your share. The council’s decision time, the build programme and the market drive the timing. We give you a realistic range for each stage after the appraisal rather than a single promised date.

Other options in March

Garden plot joint venture near March

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.