Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Thornton-Cleveleys

A shared access road is often what makes backland homes possible in Thornton-Cleveleys. Instead of several narrow drives, one properly designed road with good visibility at the pavement can serve every new home on the combined land, keep cars further from existing windows and give bin lorries and emergency vehicles the room they need.

The household providing that access gives up the most, so an equalisation agreement usually gives them an extra agreed share. Every owner keeps their house and an agreed garden, and the planning application to Wyre Council covers the whole site at once rather than plot by plot.

Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Planning authority
Wyre Council
Postcodes
FY6
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.9 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Lancashire

The local picture in Thornton-Cleveleys

Shadow is one reason combined gardens in Thornton-Cleveleys often work better. On 21 March the midday sun reaches roughly 36°, enough for a 5 m eaves line to shade about 6.9 m of ground, and by midwinter, at about 13°, the shade runs much further.

On one narrow garden, a new home can end up close to the houses on every side. On a combined site, the new homes can sit towards the middle, with gardens around them, and the shadows they cast fall mostly on their own land.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Thornton-Cleveleys: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.9 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 22.2 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Thornton-Cleveleys on 21 March sits about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.9 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.

What happens next in Thornton-Cleveleys

Nothing happens without every owner’s agreement. If you’re in Thornton-Cleveleys 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. 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.

  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

  • Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
  • Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.
  • Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.

Thornton-Cleveleys: questions to ask

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Thornton-Cleveleys?

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.

How many neighbours in Thornton-Cleveleys 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.

Does each Thornton-Cleveleys 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.

Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Thornton-Cleveleys?

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.

Other options in Thornton-Cleveleys

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Thornton-Cleveleys

Find out what your garden could become

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