- Planning authority
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
- Postcodes
- TS17
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.0 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- North Yorkshire
Thornaby-on-Tees: light, access and policy
Overlooking decides many garden schemes in Thornaby-on-Tees. With the noon sun at about 35° in late March, when a 5 m eaves line casts shade around 7.0 m deep, and with back windows facing in several directions, space matters.
On a combined site there’s room to turn the new homes, use single-storey elements near boundaries, and keep upstairs windows away from neighbours. Many councils use separation guides of around 21 metres between facing back windows, and around 12 to 15 metres from a back window to a blank side wall. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s own guide decides.
The next steps, locally
Nothing happens without every owner’s agreement. If you’re in Thornaby-on-Tees 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- If the garden providing the access drops out before signing, the whole scheme may not work.
- Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.
- Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
Questions about garden plots in Thornaby-on-Tees
Does each Thornaby-on-Tees 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.
Will Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Thornaby-on-Tees?
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 Plan, and the decision is the council’s. We test the layout against its policies before applying.
Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Thornaby-on-Tees?
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.
How many neighbours in Thornaby-on-Tees 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.
Other options in Thornaby-on-Tees
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Large rear gardens