- Planning authority
- Coventry City Council
- Postcodes
- CV1, CV2, CV3, CV5, CV6
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
Before you decide in Coventry
Shadow is one reason combined gardens in Coventry often work better. On 21 March the midday sun reaches roughly 38°, enough for a 5 m eaves line to shade about 6.5 m of ground, and by midwinter, at about 14°, the shade runs much further.
On one narrow garden, a new home can end up close to the houses on every side. On a combined site, the new homes can sit towards the middle, with gardens around them, and the shadows they cast fall mostly on their own land.
How we’d take it forward in Coventry
The steps for neighbours in Coventry 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.
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.
- Planning is still the council’s decision; a combined scheme is often stronger, but it can still be refused.
- Tax depends on each owner’s circumstances, so each should take advice from a tax adviser.
Questions about garden plots in Coventry
Can neighbours in Coventry 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. Coventry City Council decides any planning application on its merits.
Who pays for planning on combined gardens in Coventry?
It depends on the route. On a sale subject to planning, we normally fund the application. On planning promotion, nothing is paid upfront and costs are recovered from the proceeds only if a sale with planning happens. On an outright sale, we buy the land as it stands.
Who gets more if one garden in Coventry provides the access?
Usually the owner of the access garden receives an extra agreed share, because their land makes the scheme possible and their house is most affected by passing cars. The exact method is agreed by everyone in the collaboration agreement before planning starts.
What if one neighbour in Coventry 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 Coventry
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden