Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Huntingdon

Neighbours in Huntingdon sometimes find that one garden alone is too narrow, too short or too hard to reach, while the land behind several houses together would make a sensible site for new homes. That’s land assembly on a small scale.

We can look at the gardens as one site, show the group what a combined layout might allow, and explain how value is shared fairly through equalisation. Nobody has to commit until they’ve taken their own advice. If a single garden works perfectly well on its own, with its own route to the road, we’ll tell you that too.

Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Planning authority
Huntingdonshire District Council
Postcodes
PE28, PE29
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.5 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cambridgeshire

What the council will look at in Huntingdon

A combined scheme in Huntingdon has a wider pool of buyers than a single plot. Once the land has planning, it can be offered to builders and developers working in Huntingdon and nearby places such as St Ives, St Neots and Cambridge, or further afield, who are often more interested in a site for several homes than in one small plot.

If the neighbours choose a sale with planning, the collaboration agreement sets out how a buyer is agreed. If we buy the site, the price is set by the route chosen. Value depends on location, size, access and the permission Huntingdonshire District Council grants, so we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Huntingdon: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.5 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 19.7 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Huntingdon on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. In December the sun is only about 14° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Huntingdon

The steps for neighbours in Huntingdon 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.
  • Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
  • Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.

Questions about garden plots in Huntingdon

Who gets more if one garden in Huntingdon provides the access?

Usually the owner of the access garden receives an extra agreed share, because their land makes the scheme possible and their house is most affected by passing cars. The exact method is agreed by everyone in the collaboration agreement before planning starts.

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Huntingdon?

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.

Can neighbours in Huntingdon combine their back gardens for new homes?

Yes, where the gardens adjoin and there’s a workable access. Each owner keeps their house, the land behind is planned as one site, and a collaboration agreement sets out how the value is shared. Huntingdonshire District Council decides any planning application on its merits.

Will Huntingdonshire District Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Huntingdon?

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.

Other options in Huntingdon

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Huntingdon

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.