Backland Development
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Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Harpenden

Equalisation is the heart of any combined garden scheme in Harpenden. 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
St Albans City and District Council
Postcodes
AL3, AL5
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.4 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Hertfordshire

Harpenden: light, access and policy

A combined scheme in Harpenden 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 Harpenden and nearby places such as St Albans, Luton and Hemel Hempstead, 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 St Albans City and District Council grants, so we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Harpenden: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 19.0 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Harpenden on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.4 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 Harpenden

Nothing happens without every owner’s agreement. If you’re in Harpenden 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.

  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. 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.

  4. 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.

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.
  • Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.
  • Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.

Your questions, answered for Harpenden

Can neighbours in Harpenden 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. St Albans City and District Council decides any planning application on its merits.

Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Harpenden?

Yes. Each owner has different interests, a different title and possibly a mortgage, so each needs independent advice. On option and promotion agreements we cover each owner’s reasonable legal fees up to the cap agreed in the heads of terms.

Who gets more if one garden in Harpenden 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.

What if one neighbour in Harpenden 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.

Other options in Harpenden

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Harpenden

Find out what your garden could become

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