- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 2
- County town
- Dorchester
Dorset: the planning picture
A combined site in Dorset brings some extra checks that a single garden doesn’t. With more land and more homes, the scheme has to show how it meets biodiversity net gain rules, and drainage needs planning across the whole site, which in practice means a drainage plan the council will want to see. Trees along old garden boundaries are common, and any protected by a Tree Preservation Order need consent before work. These checks are easier to plan for once, across one site, than garden by garden.
Planning authorities covering Dorset include BCP Council, Dorset 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 Dorset
Questions about combine neighbours’ gardens in Dorset
Which councils decide combined garden schemes in Dorset?
The local planning authority for the address decides, and the authorities serving Dorset include BCP Council and Dorset Council. 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.
How is value shared between neighbours in Dorset?
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.
Do you help neighbours combine gardens in Dorset?
Yes. We cover Dorset as part of our coverage of England and Wales. We appraise the combined land free of charge, explain the routes open to the group, and set out how value would be shared before anyone commits.
Do I need my own solicitor to sell a plot in Dorset?
Yes, always. Your solicitor checks the contract, deals with the transfer of part at HM Land Registry and asks your mortgage lender to release the plot if the house is mortgaged. On option and promotion agreements we cover your reasonable legal fees, with the cap agreed in heads of terms before work starts.