- Planning authority
- East Hertfordshire District Council
- Postcodes
- SG13, SG14
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
The local picture in Hertford
Every joint venture on a garden in Hertford depends on planning permission from East Hertfordshire 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.
What happens next in Hertford
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 East Hertfordshire District Council.
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.
- You’ll live next to a building site, and the new home’s design affects your own house and garden.
- Your return isn’t fixed. It depends on build costs, sale prices and timing, unless you choose a structure with a fixed element.
Questions about garden plots in Hertford
What if the build on my Hertford 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.
Will a joint venture in Hertford 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 my neighbours join a joint venture in Hertford?
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.
Does my land stay in my name during a joint venture in Hertford?
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.
Other options in Hertford
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Large rear gardens
- Corner and side plots