- Planning authority
- Bridgend County Borough Council
- Postcodes
- CF34, SA13
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- LDP
- County
- Mid Glamorgan
The local picture in Maesteg
Back gardens in CF34 and SA13, 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 Bridgend County Borough 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.
How we’d take it forward in Maesteg
The steps for neighbours in Maesteg 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 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.
- The owner of the access garden will live beside a shared road, which is why that garden often receives an extra share.
Your questions, answered for Maesteg
Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Maesteg?
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.
What if one neighbour in Maesteg 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.
How many neighbours in Maesteg 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.
Will Bridgend County Borough Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Maesteg?
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 Development Plan (LDP), and the decision is the council’s. We test the layout against its policies before applying.
Other options in Maesteg
- Sell part of your garden
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots