- Planning authority
- London Borough of Ealing
- Postcodes
- UB1, UB5, UB6, W5, W7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
What the council will look at in Ealing
With the sun at about 15° at noon on 21 December, and around 38° in late March, low winter light is a real concern for gardens in Ealing. A new home that sits too close or too tall can leave your garden or the one next door in shade for much of the year.
The London Borough of Ealing will test this, often against separation distances in its design guidance. Many councils use around 21 metres between facing back windows, though your council’s own guide decides. In a joint venture you see the shading studies before we apply.
What happens next in Ealing
Before any agreement for a Ealing 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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Tax can differ from a simple sale of garden land, so take advice from a tax adviser before you sign.
- You’ll live next to a building site, and the new home’s design affects your own house and garden.
- A joint venture takes longer than any sale: planning, then building, then selling or handover.
Questions about garden plots in Ealing
Does my land stay in my name during a joint venture in Ealing?
It can. One option keeps the land in your name until an agreed stage, with us building under a licence. Another transfers it earlier with a legal charge in your favour. Your solicitor advises which suits you, bearing in mind that a lender funding the build will want security too.
Will a joint venture in Ealing affect my tax?
It may. Sharing in the development and sale of new homes can be taxed differently from a simple sale of garden land, and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) or VAT may arise depending on the structure. Take advice from a tax adviser on your own position before you commit.
Can I do a joint venture on my garden in Ealing 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.
Who decides planning for a joint venture plot in Ealing?
The London Borough of Ealing 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 Ealing
- Sell subject to planning
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots

