- Planning authority
- Milton Keynes City Council
- Postcodes
- MK16
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Buckinghamshire
What the council will look at in Newport Pagnell
Shadow is one reason combined gardens in Newport Pagnell often work better. On 21 March the midday sun reaches roughly 38°, enough for a 5 m eaves line to shade about 6.4 m of ground, and by midwinter, at about 14°, the shade runs much further.
On one narrow garden, a new home can end up close to the houses on every side. On a combined site, the new homes can sit towards the middle, with gardens around them, and the shadows they cast fall mostly on their own land.
The next steps, locally
The steps for neighbours in Newport Pagnell are: free appraisal, a meeting with the owners, heads of terms, signed agreements, one planning application, then completion and payment of each owner’s share. Setting up a group takes longer than a single plot, and timing depends on the owners, the lenders and the council, so we give ranges rather than promises.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.
- The owner of the access garden will live beside a shared road, which is why that garden often receives an extra share.
- If the garden providing the access drops out before signing, the whole scheme may not work.
Newport Pagnell: questions to ask
Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Newport Pagnell?
Yes. Each owner has different interests, a different title and possibly a mortgage, so each needs independent advice. On option and promotion agreements we cover each owner’s reasonable legal fees up to the cap agreed in the heads of terms.
Does each Newport Pagnell owner keep their own house and garden?
Yes. Each owner keeps their house and an agreed garden for it. Only the land behind is transferred, as a transfer of part at HM Land Registry. New boundaries and fencing for each house are agreed as part of the design.
Will Milton Keynes City Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Newport Pagnell?
It often gives the council a better scheme to assess, with one proper access and more space between homes. But every application is judged on its merits against the council’s Local Plan, and the decision is the council’s. We test the layout against its policies before applying.
Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Newport Pagnell?
It depends on the route. On a sale subject to planning, we normally fund the application. On planning promotion, nothing is paid upfront and costs are recovered from the proceeds only if a sale with planning happens. On an outright sale, we buy the land as it stands.
Other options in Newport Pagnell
- Bungalows on large plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Plot feasibility and design
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden