Backland Development
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Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea

Equalisation is the heart of any combined garden scheme in Kensington and Chelsea. The neighbours agree in advance how the total proceeds will be split, so it doesn’t matter whose land ends up under the road, the new homes or the open space. That removes the main reason combined schemes fall apart.

Shares often follow the area of land each owner contributes, adjusted by agreement, with an extra amount for the access garden. Each owner keeps their house, has their own solicitor to check the agreement on their behalf, and takes advice from a tax adviser on their own circumstances.

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Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Planning authority
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Postcodes
SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10, W8
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater London

How it plays out in Kensington and Chelsea

A combined site in Kensington and Chelsea goes to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as one application, judged against the council’s Local Plan and national policy. The council will look at the scheme as a whole: whether one access is safe, whether the layout respects the pattern of the street and gardens around it, and whether every existing home keeps enough privacy, daylight and garden.

That’s a stronger position than several separate applications for single plots, each judged on its own and each with its own drive. It isn’t a guarantee, but it gives the council a scheme it can assess fairly.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Kensington and Chelsea: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.6 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Kensington and Chelsea on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Kensington and Chelsea

The steps for neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea 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. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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.
  • 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.

Questions about garden plots in Kensington and Chelsea

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Kensington and Chelsea?

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.

Does each Kensington and Chelsea 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.

Who gets more if one garden in Kensington and Chelsea 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.

How many neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea 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.

Other options in Kensington and Chelsea

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Kensington and Chelsea

Find out what your garden could become

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