Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Lytham St Annes

If your back garden in Lytham St Annes 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 Fylde 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
Fylde Council
Postcodes
FY8
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.8 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Lancashire

The local picture in Lytham St Annes

Back gardens in FY8, as anywhere, tend to be divided by fences, hedges and the odd tree, and a combined scheme has to work with all of them. Old boundary hedges may be habitat worth keeping, and mature trees may need an assessment before anything is designed.

We map these features across all the gardens at once, so the layout keeps what matters and the application to Fylde Council shows how trees and wildlife have been considered. Doing it across the whole site is simpler and cheaper than doing it garden by garden.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Lytham St Annes: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 22.0 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Lytham St Annes on 21 March sits about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

The next steps, locally

The steps for neighbours in Lytham St Annes 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.
  • Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
  • Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.

Questions about garden plots in Lytham St Annes

Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Lytham St Annes?

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 Lytham St Annes 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.

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Lytham St Annes?

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.

What if one neighbour in Lytham St Annes 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 Lytham St Annes

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Lytham St Annes

Find out what your garden could become

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