Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Leominster

If your back garden in Leominster is long but has no way in from the road, your neighbours may hold the answer. Combining the far ends of adjoining gardens creates one site with one shared access, which can turn several unusable strips into a scheme Herefordshire Council can properly consider.

Each owner keeps their house and a garden for it. A collaboration agreement sets out how the proceeds are shared, including an agreed extra for the garden that gives the access, and every owner has their own solicitor. Our appraisal of the combined land is free.

Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Planning authority
Herefordshire Council
Postcodes
HR6
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.5 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Herefordshire

How it plays out in Leominster

A combined scheme in Leominster 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 Leominster and nearby places such as Bromyard, Ludlow and Hereford, 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 Herefordshire Council grants, so we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Leominster: 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 19.6 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Leominster 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.

From first call to decision

To start, send us the addresses of the gardens involved in Leominster, or just your own if the neighbours haven’t been asked yet. We run a free desk-based check of the titles, access options and planning position, then explain in writing whether a combined scheme looks realistic before anyone talks to the neighbours in detail.

  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. 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.

  4. 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

  • Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.
  • 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.

Your questions, answered for Leominster

What if one neighbour in Leominster changes their mind?

Before signing, they can simply step back, and we see whether the scheme still works without their garden. After signing, the agreements decide what happens, and they usually bind whoever owns the house next. Your solicitor will check those clauses carefully.

Can neighbours in Leominster 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. Herefordshire Council decides any planning application on its merits.

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Leominster?

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.

Will Herefordshire Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Leominster?

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 Leominster

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Leominster

Find out what your garden could become

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