- Planning authority
- Worthing Borough Council
- Postcodes
- BN11, BN12, BN13, BN14
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Sussex
Before you decide in Worthing
A combined scheme in Worthing has a wider pool of buyers than a single plot. Once the land has planning, it can be offered to builders and developers working in Worthing and nearby places such as Lancing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Littlehampton, or further afield, who are often more interested in a site for several homes than in one small plot.
If the neighbours choose a sale with planning, the collaboration agreement sets out how a buyer is agreed. If we buy the site, the price is set by the route chosen. Value depends on location, size, access and the permission Worthing Borough Council grants, so we don’t quote figures before an appraisal.
The next steps, locally
The steps for neighbours in Worthing 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.
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.
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.
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 Worthing
Do we each need a solicitor for a combined scheme in Worthing?
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.
Can neighbours in Worthing 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. Worthing Borough Council decides any planning application on its merits.
What if one neighbour in Worthing 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.
Who gets more if one garden in Worthing 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.
Other options in Worthing
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Sell subject to planning