- Planning authority
- Somerset Council
- Postcodes
- BA5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Somerset
What the council will look at in Wells
A finished home in a joint venture is sold, or handed back to you, into a local market that includes Wells and places such as Frome, Burnham-on-Sea and Keynsham. 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 Somerset Council is likely to view the size of home proposed.
From first call to decision
Getting started in Wells 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- We’re a new brand within the S&K Group, so ask for open-book reporting and check every protection in writing.
Wells: questions to ask
Can I take a new home back instead of cash in Wells?
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.
Will a joint venture in Wells 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.
How long does a garden joint venture in Wells 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.
Can my neighbours join a joint venture in Wells?
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.
Other options in Wells
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Build a home for family in your garden