- Planning authority
- North Somerset Council
- Postcodes
- BS48
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Somerset
Before you decide in Nailsea
Overlooking decides many garden schemes in Nailsea. With the noon sun at about 39° in late March, when a 5 m eaves line casts shade around 6.3 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. North Somerset Council’s own guide decides.
The next steps, locally
Nothing happens without every owner’s agreement. If you’re in Nailsea 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.
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.
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
- Several owners have to agree, so a combined scheme usually takes longer to set up than a single plot.
- Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.
- If the garden providing the access drops out before signing, the whole scheme may not work.
Questions about garden plots in Nailsea
Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Nailsea?
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.
Will North Somerset Council prefer a combined scheme to single plots in Nailsea?
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.
How many neighbours in Nailsea 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.
What if one neighbour in Nailsea 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 Nailsea
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Plot feasibility and design
- Sell subject to planning
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot

