it isn't choisya but looks like Eunomynous emerald and gold [sorry cant spell it ]

I agree Euonymus 'Green & Gold'.

Agree on Euonymus. Am not normally a fan but that one looks a nice colour.

Re the Privet - will you lose privacy/wind shelter from losing it?

Euonymus - that's it! Been bugging me for weeks!
Re privet... I have nothing to lose but the privet! I'm old-fashioned and believe in net curtains and blinds for privacy. The privet is pressing against the front room window and out over the street footpath - now more than 4ft width. The house has been empty since new year and the vendors haven't trimmed the hedge since they accepted my offer (no need to keep up the kerb appeal!) but even if it was smaller it would still be going, simply because I don't like privet. It will be replaced with ferns, spring bulbs, a rose or two (identified the rose by the front door as, possibly, Queen Elizabeth) in gravel with, eventually, an iron railing.
I'm really looking forward to having this small patch of earth - my current garden is just too big and tends far too much towards overgrown because I just never had the time and energy to get it right when the I moved in.

Just a word of warning if you want to plant roses in place of privet. Privet is a very greedy feeder and the ground will be totally impoverished and will need lots of good stuff pumping into it first. If you grow roses in gravel you won't be able to mulch them afterwards so make sure they get a really good start. I removed a privet hedge knowing this full well in theory but doing nothing about it, and then wondered why everything I planted there died!

Thanks, Steragram, under the privet is completely wasted so will be getting in a load of fresh garden soil and I'm was thinking of having a narrow soil border (where the privet is now) with gravel in the strip between that and the house wall - but still looking around for ideas (getting strange looks when I leap out of my car to take a pic of a front garden that looks interesting). Apart from cutting the hedge down to a manageable height things will probably all wait until next spring now as the builders can't start until October and will need to throw their rubbish somewhere! All gives me time to plan and work out what I want - getting lots of inspiration from the photos on GOY.

Just had another look at your garden-to be. What great walls you'll have for some pretty climbers. If you get evening sun as well as afternoon I'd make one of them honeysuckle as its scent comes out best in evening sunshine.

Yep, Honeysuckle is on the list - it's going to be so difficult deciding what to have in this small space. I think lots of planning will be involved to check out the sun v shadows from neighbouring houses. The first thing is whether to get rid of the raised beds in favour of ground level borders. I can see the benefit of raised beds for my knees and tumbling flowers, but the current brickwork is poor quality and the wrong colour. Have been thinking about getting some galvanised metal sheeting to clad it with a bit of a mirror finish but also want to take the raised beds away and have rope edge borders and restore the staffordshire blue pavers that would have been there.
I have been very weak and bought some more pots yesterday - so many lovely pots on sale at the moment - now they're stacked up in my current kitchen waiting for me to get the keys (which is weeks away!)

Did you know you can get paint to change the colour of bricks? I did this at our last but three house (we have moved a lot more than I like.) It saves a lot of work if you can get the colour you want.
Lovely to have a stack of new pots waiting for plants - you're going to have lots of pleasure going to GCs!

Paint! I hadn't thought of that! (Honest! Not being sarcastic!) I was thinking of painting the outside kitchen wall to lighten up the 'alley' by the French window, but hadn't occurred to me to paint the ropey raised beds. It's a quick fix while I decide.

I love this site!!!!

(My best friend has just yelled at me for buying pots before I'm ready to move - reckons it will jinx the purchase!)