Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Gwynedd

Land assembly sounds like something only big developers do, but it works on a street scale too. Where several homes in Gwynedd share a run of long back gardens, the owners can agree to plan the land behind their houses as one site, reached by a single shared access.

The hard part is fairness, because usually only one garden can provide the road. An equalisation agreement deals with that by fixing each owner’s share before planning starts. Every owner keeps their house, signs nothing without their own solicitor’s advice, and can choose whether the site is sold, optioned or promoted.

Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Nation
Wales
National planning policy
Planning Policy Wales
Planning authorities
2
City
Bangor

Before you start in Gwynedd

Some neighbours in Gwynedd already know which garden could provide the access, perhaps a wide side plot, a corner house or a garage that could come down. Others don’t. Either way, we start by mapping the possible routes in, the width each offers and the effect on the homes either side, because the access decides how many gardens can join and how the value will need to be shared between them.

Planning authorities covering Gwynedd include Gwynedd Council, Isle of Anglesey County Council.

How it works

  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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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 Gwynedd

Questions about combine neighbours’ gardens in Gwynedd

How is value shared between neighbours in Gwynedd?

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.

Can a combined garden site in Gwynedd be sold with planning?

Yes. The neighbours can choose planning promotion, where we seek planning at our cost and the site is marketed once it is granted, or a sale subject to planning, an option, an outright sale or a joint venture. The collaboration agreement sets out how decisions about the buyer and price are made.

Which councils decide combined garden schemes in Gwynedd?

The local planning authority for the address decides, and the authorities serving Gwynedd include Gwynedd Council and Isle of Anglesey County Council. Each applies Planning Policy Wales (PPW) with its own LDP. A combined site goes in as one application to whichever council covers the land.

Can you build a new home in my garden in Gwynedd for me to keep?

Yes. Through our design and build route we survey your plot, design a new home with you, apply for planning and, once permission is granted, build it. You keep the land and the new home, to sell, let or use for family. You get a written quote after design and survey, and any earlier guide price is a guide only.

Other options in Gwynedd

Everything we cover in Gwynedd

Find out what your garden could become

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