- Planning authority
- Folkestone and Hythe District Council
- Postcodes
- CT18, CT19, CT20
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
What shapes a plot in Folkestone
With the sun at about 15° at noon on 21 December, and around 39° in late March, low winter light is a real concern for gardens in Folkestone. 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.
Folkestone and Hythe District Council 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 Folkestone
Before any agreement for a Folkestone 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
- Development lenders usually want security over the land, which your solicitor needs to fit around your own protections.
- Your return isn’t fixed. It depends on build costs, sale prices and timing, unless you choose a structure with a fixed element.
- Tax can differ from a simple sale of garden land, so take advice from a tax adviser before you sign.
Questions about garden plots in Folkestone
Who decides planning for a joint venture plot in Folkestone?
Folkestone and Hythe District 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.
Does my land stay in my name during a joint venture in Folkestone?
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.
Can my neighbours join a joint venture in Folkestone?
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.
How long does a garden joint venture in Folkestone 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 Folkestone
- Bungalows on large plots
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Corner and side plots