Backland Development
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Combine back gardens with your neighbours in Merthyr Tydfil

Equalisation is the heart of any combined garden scheme in Merthyr Tydfil. 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
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Postcodes
CF47, CF48
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 Merthyr Tydfil

Back gardens in CF47 and CF48, 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 Merthyr Tydfil 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Merthyr Tydfil: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.9 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Merthyr Tydfil: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° 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.

What happens next in Merthyr Tydfil

The steps for neighbours in Merthyr Tydfil 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

  • If the garden providing the access drops out before signing, the whole scheme may not work.
  • Every owner’s mortgage lender, title and covenants have to be dealt with, and one problem can hold up everyone.
  • Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.

Merthyr Tydfil: questions to ask

Can neighbours in Merthyr Tydfil 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. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council decides any planning application on its merits.

Will Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Merthyr Tydfil?

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.

Does each Merthyr Tydfil 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.

What if one neighbour in Merthyr Tydfil 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 Merthyr Tydfil

Combine neighbours’ gardens near Merthyr Tydfil

Find out what your garden could become

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