- Planning authority
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Postcodes
- KT12
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
Before you decide in Walton-on-Thames
Homes in KT12, like homes anywhere, may have neighbours weighing up the same choice about their gardens. If the plot next door could join yours, a joint venture on the combined land may give a better scheme, with one shared access and more space between old and new homes.
Each owner would keep their house and have their own solicitor, and the agreement would set out each person’s share. Where only a single garden is involved, we design for that plot and its neighbours alone, and Elmbridge Borough Council judges it on its own merits.
The next steps, locally
A joint venture in Walton-on-Thames moves through clear stages: appraisal, structure, heads of terms, development agreement, planning, build, then sale or handover. You receive progress and cost reports at agreed points. Timing depends on the council, the build and the market, so we give realistic ranges with each stage rather than fixed dates, and update them as things move.
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.
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
- Development lenders usually want security over the land, which your solicitor needs to fit around your own protections.
- 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.
Questions about garden plots in Walton-on-Thames
Can I do a joint venture on my garden in Walton-on-Thames 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 Walton-on-Thames?
Elmbridge Borough 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 Walton-on-Thames?
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 Walton-on-Thames 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.
Other options in Walton-on-Thames
- Build a new home in your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell part of your garden

