Backland development in March

Backland Development is a new brand within the S&K Group, helping homeowners in March make use of land behind and beside their houses. We buy suitable plots directly, subject to survey, title and contract, and we also offer sales subject to planning, options, planning promotion, joint ventures and design and build.

We won’t claim a long list of past schemes on your street, because we’re new. What we will do is give you a straight view of your plot, put the main terms in writing as heads of terms, and expect your own solicitor to check them. On option and promotion agreements, your reasonable legal fees are covered, with the cap agreed in advance.

Planning authority
Fenland District Council
Postcodes
PE15
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Noon sun, 21 December
About 14°
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cambridgeshire

The kinds of plot we look at in March

In March we look at most kinds of land behind and beside houses. That includes long back gardens, the classic backland plot; wide side gardens and corner plots, which often have their own frontage; garage courts, lock-up blocks and old yards; land with narrow, shared or no access; and bungalows on large plots, which can sometimes take a second home alongside or be replaced with several new ones. Size matters, but access usually matters more, and the free appraisal checks both.

Planning and light in March

Planning applications for new homes in gardens in March are decided by Fenland District Council. Its decisions follow the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Officers usually focus on access, privacy, daylight, the character of the street and the garden left for both homes. Many councils use separation guides of around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but Fenland District Council’s own guidance decides. We prepare the application with care; the decision is always the council’s.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in March: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.5 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 20.0 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of March: around 37° of sun at midday in late March and about 14° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

What we can do in March

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

When you’re ready, tell us about your land in March. A few photos help but aren’t essential. We’ll come back with a straight view of whether the plot could take a new home and which routes might suit you, from a sale to design and build. If it’s not a good fit, we’ll say so, and there’s nothing to pay either way.

Questions about garden plots in March

Can I sell part of my garden in March?

Often, yes, if the plot is big enough, has a workable access and stands a reasonable chance of planning. We buy suitable plots directly, with or without planning, subject to survey, title and contract, or agree a sale that only completes if Fenland District Council grants permission. If planning is refused on a conditional sale, you keep your land.

What happens if planning is refused for a plot in March?

If you agreed a sale subject to planning, the contract doesn’t complete and you keep your land. We’ll then look at the reasons Fenland District Council gave and tell you honestly whether a revised application, an appeal or stopping is the sensible choice. Nothing about your own house changes.

Can I team up with my neighbours in March?

Yes, and it can make a weak plot workable. Combining adjoining gardens can allow one shared access and a better layout. Each owner keeps their house, and a collaboration agreement sets out decisions, costs and how value is shared through equalisation. Every household should have its own solicitor.

How long does a garden plot deal in March usually take?

It depends on the route. A sale of a plot that already has planning moves at the pace of the solicitors and your lender. Routes that need planning usually take many months, because of surveys, design, the council’s decision period and any amendments. Design and build usually takes well over a year in total.

Nearby

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.