- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 2
- County town
- Dorchester
Dorset: the planning picture
Councils across Dorset apply the same national starting point, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), but each has its own Local Plan and design guidance for garden land. In a joint venture the plans are drawn to meet those policies and to suit you as the neighbour, since you’ll be living next door. Window positions, height and boundary treatment can all be agreed with you before the application goes in, and the council will still form its own view on overlooking, daylight and the character of the street.
Planning authorities covering Dorset include BCP Council, Dorset 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 Dorset
Questions about garden plot joint venture in Dorset
Do you offer garden plot joint ventures in Dorset?
Yes. We cover Dorset as part of our coverage of England and Wales. A joint venture is one of several routes we offer, and the free appraisal shows whether it suits your plot and plans, or whether a sale or option would be simpler.
Which councils decide joint venture schemes in Dorset?
The council where the land sits decides; the authorities serving Dorset include BCP Council and Dorset Council. 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.
Is a joint venture better than selling my garden in Dorset?
Not always. A joint venture can give you a share of what’s built, but it takes longer and your return isn’t fixed. A sale gives certainty sooner. We set the options out side by side after the free appraisal so you can choose with the facts in front of you.
Do you buy garden plots in Dorset?
Yes. We buy suitable garden plots across Dorset directly, with or without planning permission, always subject to survey, title and contract. We also offer sales subject to planning, options, planning promotion and joint ventures. Which route fits depends on your plot, so the starting point is a free, no-obligation appraisal.