AIBU to turn down developer’s offer of £££ and keep our garden?

[Emelene]

Hi MN. I would appreciate some opinions. We have very recently moved to a village, with an outstanding school, village green out the front and a garden in excess of 100 ft out the back. Our kids are almost 3 and 1 and we see ourselves living here for at least a decade.

The thing is the last owner was intending to sell 60% of the garden to developers, along with the next 3 neighbours along (we are the end plot on the plans). She lost patience and sold the lot to us. Planning permission has finally been granted after previous appeals were turned down.

Under the plans, there would be a house and a half built on our land, so we would be overlooked and lose 60 percent of the garden. We don’t have to sell, but the developers have offered a final offer of £100k. That would pay off about a third of our mortgage. They are pressuring us to make a decision ASAP.

Obviously it’s a huge amount of money and a privileged position to be in … it’s very hard to say no. But. Losing the garden is a high price. We’d planned chickens, Wendy house etc. The house currently feels so peaceful, trees out the back (that would be cut down) and birdsong. So I think it would change the whole feel of our home. But there will be a house built in the neighbour’s garden, so there will be a small element of overlooking…

I’m scared we will regret turning down the money. But our kids are so young and we moved here to give them a wonderful childhood (with a garden!)

So AIBU to turn the developers down and keep the garden? WWYD?

Don't do it. We were in this position and although it was only the bottom end of the garden of the house I grew up in (the garden was a third of an acre) and we had agreed, the price was only £10k but it fell through due to the lady two doors up refusing to sell and they needed all of the ends of the gardens to build on (for context, there is a cul de sac that ends at the bottom of the neighbour on the right hand sides garden,our house faced the
garden at the back of the house at the end and the houses are only halfway up the road on that side so a good few gardens actually go up to the road. I guess they were planning to finish the rest of that side)but in retrospect I'm glad it never happened. With a garden that size we wouldn't have been overlooked but it would have affected the price when we sold(we were there over 30 years,wish we'd never left tbh) so no,no matter how much they offer,refuse as you'd end up worse off than we would have been,the house would lose value and you'd be overlooked to the point you might want to sell quicker than anticipated. Your new neighbours may be annoyed but it's your house and land, not theirs and they'll get over it in time.

No, don't do it. Yes the money, might be nice, but been overlooked by neighbours been so close and looking into what garden you are left with, you will not have privacy.
Having some where great for the kids to play and have fun, is worth more than the money.
Having chickens is great, fresh eggs are amazing, plus the kids will learn how to take care of them. It's great growing up with a big garden.

@Emelene

We bought our house for £335k. It’s a terrace. The houses they are building are detached (although very tiny gardens) so aiming to market around £450k each.

The remaining garden would be about 30 foot. Currently that area is mostly patio. So we would be left with patio, a small strip of grass and a shed.
Their plans are then a fence and “landscaping” (although I think a hedge will take years to get thick?), a driveway and the house. So there would be windows facing our back garden, including where we eat in the conservatory.

It will still be disruptive having building work but the closest would be 30ft down our neighbours garden. We would still have our garden and its view - a bit different to it being in our garden.

No way! That is a really bad deal.

We have a 160' garden and couldn't imagine carving it up.

Sounds like you've made the right decision for you. 100k sounds too low. I just hope that they don't end up changing the plans and you end up with the dirt and noise anyway because they're building at your boundary (left or right).

Fwiw we moved last year and the house has a 100ft garden. We love it. Have spent 15k at the end of the garden removing an orchard, putting in decking, a pergola, built in hot tub and new lawn. Garden is north facing but the end half of the garden gets sun most of the day in summer. It does take a lot of work to maintain though .it'a a very established garden with lots of big trees/ shrubs and plants. My dh spent about 6 hours per week from March to recently maintaining it (as we like to keep it looking nice). Prob needs 1-2 hours in winter, but it's worth it!

If you want to, in time, you could develop the plot yourself.

I would hold on to the garden, but prior to doing that get a surveyor to advise how much you would lose from the value of your existing property if you sell - you will be getting £100k-£xk - if it knocks e.g. £50k off, you would be only getting £50k. Over twenty years that is only £2.5k per year - which isn;t much for the use of a large lovely garden.

The 100 you make now will probably be knocked of the selling price if you move in a decade.

100 million % fuck that.

Keep your lovely 100 feet of garden @Emelene

We have a big garden. 50 feet of land to the right of our cottage, and 40 feet to the left. also a 40 feet long garden at the front, and some 90 feet long at the back... and we are elevated - so people walking on the public footpath out front, (and passing cars on the road,) cannot see into our home. I would be very likely to trade this for anything.

Very few properties in our village have a garden like ours, and it saw me and DH through lockdown, and saved our sanity.

We have a corner where all the birdfeeders and hedgehog houses are, and flower borders, and heather, and hebes, and a bunch of conifers, and a 'wild corner' where lots of wildlife live, 10 buddleias that provide pollen/1000s of little flowers for the butterflies and bees in summer, and we always have around 50 sunflowers.

It has 3 big lawns too, and 12 or so other trees, including silver birch, rowan, acer, and several fruit trees, and some holly bushes, that grow berries in Autumn. And lots more bushes and wild flowers and wild plants...

We have some ornaments, and solar lighting too, and garden table and chairs, and a firepit, and a big shed, and a garage...

As I said, it's perfect and we love it so much. No WAY would I give half of it away. Nope, not even for £100K. Our cottage would probably be worth £100K less without it!

The developers could have bought your house when the previous owner put it up for sale but they didn’t.

Good decision OP. You can probably plant something to deal with the overlooking that is going to happen anyway. It will be much less than if you had an additional house overlooking. Don't be worried too much about maintaining a big garden but, when you're planning what to do, always think of low maintenance. Big lawn, shrubs, trees and not so many flower beds. Your children will love their big garden for years and years.

I wouldn’t and I’m skint!

no way. just not worth it at all. my parents were in a similar situation - but for waaay more money - they turned it down, and the offer went up and up - but they still said no.

20 years later, they are still living in the home they love with a garden they love.

They NEVER regretted it. Seriously, if you are asking here - that tells you your answer should be no.

A friend of ours bought land at 300k with no planning permission,he has now obtained it and land is now worth in excess of £1 million.

Happiness is worth more than money.

Personally, I would not sell it. The disruption will be immense and that space will be well used by your children. If it wasn't part of your plan and not needed, keep it. We had friends that had a similar offer. The developers changed their plans after buying the gardens and changed to flats. They are completely over looked. Once you sell, there is no going back. This is also personal as we would love a bigger garden for our kids. We currently have 40ft and need an office so will be losing garden space. good luck

Don't do it please. I moved to a house whose previous owner sold the garden and hate being overlooked and cramped when I look out the window. You moved there for a beautiful garden, privacy and tranquility. Don't give in to greedy developers or neighbours.

I'd turn it down. If they made an offer for your whole property, that would be a different matter but I wouldn't sell a chunk of the garden.

Find out exactly why previous planning applications failed and changes which enabled final approval. You could sell and find developer has submitted revised plans to build even more units and higher. Three floor 'townhouse' rabbit hutches seem to be popular because it's all about local authorities being pressured to meet new home building targets.

A big fat no here. You’ll sell your home within 3 years so if you want to move negotiate that they buy the garden and house for £100 above current value (at least).

£100,000 is simply not enough, so don't do it.

For £500,000 I'd do it and move!

I wouldn't. It's very little money for what you will lose. Remember the developers will make a huge amount from this.
Enjoy your chickens and Wendy house etc, this could be your forever home with beautiful memories for you and your children.

OP, I think you have made the right decision. Whilst the money may seem a lot for nothing to some (which it is), as you quite rightly state it will totally change the reasons why you fell in love and bought your house. Add to this how it will impact the value of your property, it really is a bad deal. So it is not easy money at all and in the whole scheme of things, it sounds like you still have a few decades of mortgage repayments and a very young family,so it works out at very little over the years.

I live in a big northern city and my bit is only about 3 miles away from the centre but just happens to border farm/green belt land. There is a road or two with very desirable housing with the views which are all suddenly on the market. Planning permission has been knocked back a few times for an estate of around 100 homes but the developers have been back and forth over the years knowing they will eventually get it passed and they have. The same with a planned development a few miles away in a stunning valley between my city and the one which neighbours us. I think anyone buying where a developer is trying to get planning permission needs to be very wary. Whilst it may take a few years and some changes to plans, in the end some form of development is eventually agreed.

Hell no. Your house will lose value. Plus you would be overlooked

And then you'd be left with only a 9m garden?

No thanks. Dont do it

You can always change your mind later, sell if you need in the future. Dont worry about missing the boat, if that builder wants the land, so will another

@Emelene

So glad you made this decision... enjoy your wonderful new home and GARDEN lol

We’d turn it down because privacy is really valuable to us.