- Planning authority
- Cheltenham Borough Council
- Postcodes
- GL50, GL51, GL52
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 15°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Gloucestershire
The kinds of plot we look at in Cheltenham
Sometimes the plot that works isn’t a single garden at all. Two or three adjoining back gardens in Cheltenham can often be combined into one scheme with one shared access, giving a better layout than any of them alone. Each owner keeps their house, and a collaboration agreement with an equalisation clause shares the value fairly. If your own garden is too narrow or too short to work on its own, it’s worth asking whether the neighbours might be interested too.
Planning and light in Cheltenham
Small planning applications in Cheltenham are usually decided by planning officers at Cheltenham Borough Council under delegated powers, and national and council rules set out when, if ever, one goes to a planning committee instead. Either way, the application is judged on material considerations such as overlooking, daylight, highway safety and design, not on loss of a view or property values. A well-evidenced application that clearly addresses the policies in the council’s Local Plan gives your plot the fairest hearing. We prepare it with you and keep you informed; the decision rests with the council.
What we can do in Cheltenham
Sell or partner
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
Design and build
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
By plot type
- Large rear gardens
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Bungalows on large plots
What happens next
If you’d like to talk it through first, call us. There’s no script and no hard sell. We’ll ask a few questions about your plot in Cheltenham, explain how the free appraisal works and answer what we can on the spot. If it makes sense to go further, we’ll agree the next step together; if it doesn’t, you’ve lost nothing.
Questions about garden plots in Cheltenham
Who decides planning for a new home in a garden in Cheltenham?
The decision is made by Cheltenham Borough Council, using the council’s Local Plan, the NPPF and its own design guidance. Small schemes are usually decided by planning officers, and national and council rules set out when one can go to a planning committee instead. We prepare and submit the application and answer the council’s questions, but we can’t promise the outcome.
Can I team up with my neighbours in Cheltenham?
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 do you stop a new home in Cheltenham overshadowing the neighbours?
By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Cheltenham is about 38° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.4 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.
Can I sell part of my garden in Cheltenham?
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 Cheltenham Borough Council grants permission. If planning is refused on a conditional sale, you keep your land.