Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Litherland

Equalisation is the heart of any combined garden scheme in Litherland. 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.

Aerial view of a row of semi-detached houses whose garden ends have been combined into one plot with a new access
Planning authority
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Postcodes
L10, L21, L30
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.7 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Merseyside

What shapes a plot in Litherland

Shadow is one reason combined gardens in Litherland often work better. On 21 March the midday sun reaches roughly 37°, enough for a 5 m eaves line to shade about 6.7 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 Litherland: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.7 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.5 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Litherland: around 37° of sun at midday in late March and about 13° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

The next steps, locally

To start, send us the addresses of the gardens involved in Litherland, 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. 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.
  • Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.
  • Every owner’s mortgage lender, title and covenants have to be dealt with, and one problem can hold up everyone.

Questions about garden plots in Litherland

Who gets more if one garden in Litherland 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 Litherland 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.

Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Litherland?

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.

Can neighbours in Litherland 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. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council decides any planning application on its merits.

Other options in Litherland

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Litherland

Find out what your garden could become

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