- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 6
- County town
- Reading
What to know in Berkshire
Councils across Berkshire judge a combined garden scheme on the same tests as any backland plot: access, character, privacy, daylight, garden space, trees, parking, bins and drainage. A larger site helps with several of these at once. New homes can sit further from existing windows, and many councils work to a separation guide of around 21 metres between back windows that face each other, though the guide your council uses is what counts. One wider access can also handle cars, bins and emergency vehicles properly.
Planning authorities covering Berkshire include Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, Wokingham Borough Council.
How it works
Free appraisal of the combined land
We look at all the titles together, the possible access points, the surrounding homes and the planning policies that apply, then explain whether a combined scheme looks realistic and roughly what it might allow.
Meet the neighbours
We meet the owners together or separately, explain how the scheme and the routes work, and answer questions. We don’t approach your neighbours without your agreement, and nobody is committed at this stage.
Agree how value is shared
Heads of terms set out the route, each owner’s share, any extra for the garden providing the access, what happens if someone drops out, and the cap on each owner’s reasonable legal fees where it applies.
Collaboration agreement
Each owner’s own solicitor reviews the documents, and everyone signs a collaboration agreement alongside the sale, option or promotion agreement. Mortgage lenders are asked to consent early, and the agreements are usually protected on each title.
One planning application
We prepare and submit a single application for the whole site, with one shared access and a layout designed around all the existing homes. The council decides it, and nobody can promise the result.
Completion and shares paid
When the site is sold with planning, or bought by us as agreed, each owner transfers their part, and the proceeds are divided through the solicitors exactly as the collaboration agreement sets out.
Combine neighbours’ gardens in towns across Berkshire
- Reading
- Slough
- Bracknell
- Maidenhead
- Wokingham
- Newbury
- Earley
- Windsor
- Woodley
- Crowthorne
- Thatcham
- Sandhurst
- Ascot
Questions about combine neighbours’ gardens in Berkshire
How is value shared between neighbours in Berkshire?
Through equalisation in a collaboration agreement. Shares are often based on the land each owner contributes, adjusted by agreement, with an extra amount for the garden providing the access. The method is fixed before planning so nobody gains or loses because of where the road goes.
Which councils decide combined garden schemes in Berkshire?
The local planning authority for the address decides, and the authorities serving Berkshire include Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough Borough Council, West Berkshire Council and other councils. Each applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) with its own Local Plan. A combined site goes in as one application to whichever council covers the land.
What legal checks apply to combined gardens in Berkshire?
Every title is checked for mortgages, restrictive covenants and rights of way, and each lender must agree to release the land it holds as security. Each owner has their own solicitor, and the agreements are usually protected on each title.
How much is a garden plot in Berkshire worth?
It depends on location, size, access, title and, above all, planning. Two similar gardens in the same street can be worth very different amounts if one has easy access and the other doesn’t. We don’t quote figures before we’ve looked at a plot properly; the free appraisal is the way to find out.