Government put stop to ‘Garden Grabbing’
By Effective Communication
The government’s decision to review certain current planning laws has sparked much debate during the last few weeks – much of which has related to the issue of what has commonly become known as ‘garden grabbing’.
It basically refers to the practice whereby property developers either snap up large detached homes and knock them down or purchase chunks of garden space from the owners. In the past, they have then used the land acquired on which to build new homes or executive flats.
It was allowed due to a loophole in the existing law which in planning terms placed gardens in the brownfield site category – alongside, for example, previously residential land such as railways sidings or derelict factories.
In the decade between 1998-2008, more than 25% of new properties were built on what had once been gardens but decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has put a stop to this by removing gardens from the brownfield category.
So, in effect, local councils have been given the power to step in and prevent unwanted development – perhaps where local people object or it would be deemed to not be in keeping with the area.
In this way, it will certainly benefit those local communities who have previously had little say in what happens to their neighbourhood and it is a decision that has also been welcomed by environmentalists.
They say the benefits that garden spaces bring to urban areas far outweigh those of exclusive new developments – particularly in terms of helping to improve our air quality and temperature and in turn impacting on energy efficiency and bills.
On the flip side, small developers are already concerned that it could put them out of business and there is an opinion that it has only in fact served to throw more confusion into a system which already gave councils the right to refuse any planning application they weren’t happy with.
For the average homeowner, these changes will not have the same impact.
More and more people are choosing to extend into the garden – either with a conservatory or the increasingly popular ‘sheds’ which are used for office space or just a spare room and have become far more than just a place to store those garden tools! It can be an option when looking to increase the room you have available.
You shouldn’t normally encounter any difficult planning issues with standard alterations but my advice would be to always check with your local authority as it will differ from area to area and depend on the size of what you’re building and you don’t want to be left facing a costly mistake.
Tags: Cardiff estate agents, garden grabbing, hern & crabtree
