- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 9
- City
- Stoke-on-Trent
How councils in Staffordshire look at it
Some neighbours in Staffordshire already know which garden could provide the access, perhaps a wide side plot, a corner house or a garage that could come down. Others don’t. Either way, we start by mapping the possible routes in, the width each offers and the effect on the homes either side, because the access decides how many gardens can join and how the value will need to be shared between them.
Planning authorities covering Staffordshire include Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, South Staffordshire Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Tamworth Borough Council.
How it works
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.
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.
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.
Combine neighbours’ gardens in towns across Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Burton upon Trent
- Cannock
- Tamworth
- Stafford
- Lichfield
- Kidsgrove
- Burntwood
- Rugeley
- Leek
- Great Wyrley
- Biddulph
Questions about combine neighbours’ gardens in Staffordshire
Which councils decide combined garden schemes in Staffordshire?
The local planning authority for the address decides, and the authorities serving Staffordshire include Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, South Staffordshire Council and other councils. Each applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) with its own Local Plan. A combined site goes in as one application to whichever council covers the land.
How is value shared between neighbours in Staffordshire?
Through equalisation in a collaboration agreement. Shares are often based on the land each owner contributes, adjusted by agreement, with an extra amount for the garden providing the access. The method is fixed before planning so nobody gains or loses because of where the road goes.
Can a combined garden site in Staffordshire be sold with planning?
Yes. The neighbours can choose planning promotion, where we seek planning at our cost and the site is marketed once it is granted, or a sale subject to planning, an option, an outright sale or a joint venture. The collaboration agreement sets out how decisions about the buyer and price are made.
Can neighbours in Staffordshire combine their gardens?
Yes. Putting two or more adjoining back gardens together can allow one shared access and a better layout than separate plots. Each owner keeps their house. The owners usually sign a collaboration agreement, with an equalisation clause so that value is shared fairly even though only one garden provides the access. Each household should take its own legal advice.