- Planning authority
- Brentwood Borough Council
- Postcodes
- CM13, CM14, CM15
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Essex
How it plays out in Brentwood
A finished home in a joint venture is sold, or handed back to you, into a local market that includes Brentwood and places such as Billericay, Havering and Basildon. Who might buy or rent it shapes the design: the number of bedrooms, parking and garden size all affect what it’s worth and how quickly it sells.
We talk that through with you before the design is fixed. Value depends on location, size, access, the permission and the finish, so we won’t quote figures before an appraisal, but we will explain what drives them and how Brentwood Borough Council is likely to view the size of home proposed.
From first call to decision
Before any agreement for a Brentwood garden, we recommend three conversations: one with us about the scheme and structure, one with your own solicitor about security for your land and your exit rights, and one with a tax adviser about how the deal affects you. Then decide in your own time, with no obligation from the appraisal.
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.
Worth checking early
- Tax can differ from a simple sale of garden land, so take advice from a tax adviser before you sign.
- Development lenders usually want security over the land, which your solicitor needs to fit around your own protections.
- You’ll live next to a building site, and the new home’s design affects your own house and garden.
Questions about garden plots in Brentwood
Can I do a joint venture on my garden in Brentwood 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.
How long does a garden joint venture in Brentwood 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.
Who decides planning for a joint venture plot in Brentwood?
Brentwood Borough 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.
Can I take a new home back instead of cash in Brentwood?
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.
Other options in Brentwood
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Sell subject to planning

