- Planning authority
- Chelmsford City Council
- Postcodes
- CM1, CM2
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Essex
Before you decide in Chelmsford
A combined scheme in Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford and nearby places such as Billericay, Witham and Maldon, 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 Chelmsford City Council grants, so we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.
How we’d take it forward in Chelmsford
Nothing happens without every owner’s agreement. If you’re in Chelmsford and think the gardens on your side of the street could work together, call us or use the form. We’ll look at the land first, tell you plainly whether it’s worth pursuing, and only then discuss approaching the other owners, with your say-so and in the way you prefer.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- 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.
- Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
Chelmsford: questions to ask
How many neighbours in Chelmsford need to take part?
As few as two can be enough. What matters is that the gardens taking part make a workable site and that one of them provides access to the road. We tell you which gardens are essential and which would simply improve the scheme.
Will Chelmsford City Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Chelmsford?
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 gets more if one garden in Chelmsford 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.
Can neighbours in Chelmsford 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. Chelmsford City Council decides any planning application on its merits.
Other options in Chelmsford
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Sell part of your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Garage courts and yards
- Planning permission for a garden plot