Is this possible? Steep side garden to house, how to incorporate in to back garden?

RubyShoes

I'm just looking at a house to buy which is pretty ideal other than one big issue. The back garden isn't particularly big which is a deal breaker for me. However there is a side garden that is on a slope running the entire length of the back garden. I'd like to know if it was possible to incorporate it in to the back garden and level it out so there was no slope. The land is leasehold, and the owners tell me that as far as they are aware there are no covenants on it, and the reason they built the fence where it is was for privacy so it wasn't too low, and because they couldn't be bothered leveling it out so went with the easiest option.
I've attached some pictures from street view, and one of the rightmove pics as they have just re-turfed the area and got rid of the shrubbery. If anyone has any ideas if this is a workable idea, and rough ideas of costs, I'd be ever so grateful 🙏. 

RubyShoes

OK, well that was a fail with the pictures. Ooops! 

Emmia

Is the land actually leasehold (how long is the lease, level of ground rent / service charges etc.)? Or is that a typo?

If the land is leasehold, you'll need the freeholders consent for the works you're proposing - and if they say "no" then I'm sorry but you won't be able to do the works. 

Personally, I wouldn't buy what appears to be a house that either is leasehold, or is fundamentally associated with a leasehold... it's fine for flats with shared areas, but when you're the sole occupier...

Did the current owners get permission from the freeholder for the fence? If they did,  do you know if/how much the freeholder charged?

Do you know if the current owners have sought to buy the freehold for the land? Or have a quote for that?

thegreenone

There's an identical set up at the corner of my road and a small close.  New people bought the house, took out the fence and put a new, two metre fence on the border with the footpath.  They didn't get planning permission and the council ordered them to rip out and restore.  They didn't stay long. 

However, that wall is quite high, so a one metre fence probably would give privacy from the pavement but not from houses on the other side.

Talk to the owners again and definitely talk to the council. 

(We had to get PP for our rear fence because it bordered the road behind).

Andy_L

Its next to the road so, AIUI, you'd need planning permission to put up a fence/wall more than 1m high

ETA and the retaining wall tha'ts already there prob counts so you can't just stick a 1m fence on top of it

Slinky

Is it an optical illusion or the camera lens distorting it, or does the end of the brick wall on the right of the image look like it's hanging outwards?  How strong does that wall look?

My friend has a garden with a sloping lawn in. It's a pain in the wotsit to mow, she's going to put shrubs in.

getmore4less

no bath and stairs from the lounge.
is that other downstairs front room a converted garage

Planning show it was an old opencast mining site.
No further planning since it was built.

land reg has both freehold and leasehold entries for the property site
XX at......
land at.....

Section62

RubyShoes said:

The land is leasehold, and the owners tell me that as far as they are aware there are no covenants on it, and the reason they built the fence where it is was for privacy so it wasn't too low, and because they couldn't be bothered leveling it out so went with the easiest option.

I'd be very surprised if the BiB is correct.

The retaining wall is a substantial one, and will need periodic maintenance.  Whoever owns the wall (and/or is responsible for maintenance) would almost certainly have wanted a covenant restricting use of the land immediately behind the wall to ensure access for maintenance is retained.

There's also a good chance there are planning conditions relating to the openness of that area, either for the overall 'open plan' nature of the development, or possibly for sightlines.

theoretica

To level it, you would either (or both) need to dig down the back garden or build up the side. Digging down had a number of issues depending on exactly where - especially puddles and retaining walls.  Building up next to the road I expect would need planning permission as it would end up with a taller wall next to the road.  It would certainly need good structural planning to make a strong enough wall (and do make sure the present retaining wall is commented on in any survey).  You possibly could take down the fence, grow a hedge on the boundary (for planning permission reasons), put in a terrace or step to get a bigger garden, much but not all of it level-ish.

getmore4less

Section62 said:

RubyShoes said:

The land is leasehold, and the owners tell me that as far as they are aware there are no covenants on it, and the reason they built the fence where it is was for privacy so it wasn't too low, and because they couldn't be bothered leveling it out so went with the easiest option.

I'd be very surprised if the BiB is correct.

The retaining wall is a substantial one, and will need periodic maintenance.  Whoever owns the wall (and/or is responsible for maintenance) would almost certainly have wanted a covenant restricting use of the land immediately behind the wall to ensure access for maintenance is retained.

There's also a good chance there are planning conditions relating to the openness of that area, either for the overall 'open plan' nature of the development, or possibly for sightlines.

Both roads(off the corner) are cul-de-sacs.
Site lines good from the bit at the front adjacent to the drive.

theoretica

Section62 said:

RubyShoes said:

The land is leasehold, and the owners tell me that as far as they are aware there are no covenants on it, and the reason they built the fence where it is was for privacy so it wasn't too low, and because they couldn't be bothered leveling it out so went with the easiest option.

I'd be very surprised if the BiB is correct.

The retaining wall is a substantial one, and will need periodic maintenance.  Whoever owns the wall (and/or is responsible for maintenance) would almost certainly have wanted a covenant restricting use of the land immediately behind the wall to ensure access for maintenance is retained.

There's also a good chance there are planning conditions relating to the openness of that area, either for the overall 'open plan' nature of the development, or possibly for sightlines.

But if the house owns the wall and is responsible for maintenance, no other party would need a covenant to make doing that easier.  Definitely a question to find out definitively who is responsible for the wall.