Does your garden have development potential?

Here's 8 quick questions, examples or ways to find out.

This is where we need to add a disclaimer: All ideas expressed here are based on our own experience and knowledge. It's always advisable to seek your own independent expert advice. OK, back to the article... Below are some pointers to help you figure out what might be possible. Ultimately though, nothing can be confirmed until you reach out and speak to the planners or your architect 1. Is there a way to create access from your garden to the main road? The biggest reason planning is refused is usually because of the access to the road. You need a decent way to get to the road from the newbuild you are proposing in your garden. There's no point in providing just a walkable path. You may have another road backing onto the back of your garden and this could be suitable for accessing your newbuild. A final alternative might be to team up with one or more of your neighbours but it can become tricky if you are not comfortable with negotiating and writing agreements. 2. Do you have space right next door to your house - on the side? If you have a minimum 7m (for most areas) of land between you and your neighbour's boundary? Maybe by removing the garage? You could do what's called an infill development. The new property would slot in to your street. Some developers and planners refer to this as missing houses. the space was always there to add another home. but bear in mind, if all you can build is a narrow tight house, planning could be refused if the rest of your street is not similar. Planners insist on keeping in keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood. 3. Is your garden atleast 35 metres long? Dividing up your garden land needs to leave everyone with adequate space. Your newbuild will need space to build as well as a garden of it's own. Plus you'll need to make sure whatever garden land you have left it needs to be similar to what other newbuild gardens have in your area. Not enough land is also a big reason planning can be refused. 4. Is your plot a double width compared to other plots on your street? Not all plots are created equal. When your property was built there may have been a desire to have a larger garden than your neighbours. If your plat is wider than the average on your street you may be able to do what's called a replacement development where you replace your 1 house for 2 or more. 5. Is your property on a corner? Sometimes, by being on a corner you may have advantage of being able to access your backland from different sides. 6. Is your property at the end of a cul-de-sac? the same applies here. You may be able to access your plot from different sides allowing you to portion of some of the backland for a newbuild house or two. 7. Have any of your neighbours developed their gardens? The concept of backland and infill residential development has become quite popular so it wouldn't be uncommon to see neighbours doing the same. Planning guidelines have changed and been updated over the years. Nowadays planners are calling for more density in order to meet housing requirements in the area. 8. Can you existing home be sub-divided into flats? Flats is a great way to go. If your home has the possibility of being split into smaller units, namely apartments - subject to the appetite of your local planners , this could be an ideal way to go. Here you'd also have the advantage if you chose, to keep the freehold, providing you with a small income every year from the new leaseholders of the flats you created. If you'd like us to research your plot for you-for free-and provide you with a detailed land appraisal, just use this link to request a callback.