Backland Development
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Garden plot joint ventures in Kensington and Chelsea

The question to ask about a joint venture in Kensington and Chelsea is who carries each risk. You carry time and market risk: the scheme takes longer than a sale, and what you receive depends on sale prices and, in some structures, build costs.

We carry the spending risk: planning costs that are lost if the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea refuses, and build costs paid out long before any home is sold. The development agreement fixes those positions in advance, so both sides know where they stand if planning, the build or the market doesn’t go to plan, and neither has to argue it out later.

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Modern new home with timber cladding at the end of a long garden at dusk, lights on inside
Planning authority
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Postcodes
SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10, W8
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater London

How it plays out in Kensington and Chelsea

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 Kensington and Chelsea. 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 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Kensington and Chelsea: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Kensington and Chelsea: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° 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 Kensington and Chelsea

Getting started in Kensington and Chelsea is straightforward. Tell us your address and roughly where the garden runs, and we check your title, access and the planning position from the desk, free of charge. If a joint venture looks realistic, we visit, then explain the structures side by side so you can choose before heads of terms are drafted.

  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. 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.

  3. 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.

  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

  • 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.
  • A joint venture takes longer than any sale: planning, then building, then selling or handover.

Your questions, answered for Kensington and Chelsea

Will a joint venture in Kensington and Chelsea 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 Kensington and Chelsea 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.

Does my land stay in my name during a joint venture in Kensington and Chelsea?

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.

How long does a garden joint venture in Kensington and Chelsea 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 Kensington and Chelsea

Garden plot joint venture near Kensington and Chelsea

Find out what your garden could become

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