Garden Plots and New Homes in Brent

Planning authority: London Borough of Brent
Postcodes: HA0, HA9, NW2, NW9, NW10
Noon sun, 21 March: About 38°
Noon sun, 21 December: About 15°
Planning plan: Local Plan
County: Greater London

The kinds of plot we look at in Brent

Land that’s hard to reach isn’t automatically a lost cause. In Brent, as anywhere, a plot behind houses with narrow, shared or no access can sometimes be opened up by combining it with a neighbour’s garden, using an existing shared drive, or buying the strip of land that controls the way in. Ransom strips and rights of way need careful legal checks, and the council will look hard at a tandem layout where one house sits directly behind another. We’ll tell you honestly whether the access problem can be solved.

Planning and light in Brent

Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Brent, the noon sun on 21 December reaches only about 15° above the horizon, while by 21 March it has climbed to around 38°, when a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. On a garden plot anywhere in HA0, HA9, NW2 and NW9, that difference shapes how far apart the old and new homes need to be, which windows face which way, and whether a single-storey or roof-lit design would sit more comfortably. Planning officers at the London Borough of Brent will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.

Noon sun in Brent on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What we can do in Brent

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

When you’re ready, tell us about your land in Brent. 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 Brent

How do you stop a new home in Brent overshadowing the neighbours?

By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Brent is about 38° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.3 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.

Can you build a house in my back garden in Brent that I keep?

Yes. Our design and build route covers the survey, design, planning application, Building Regulations, construction and handover, while the land and the new home stay yours. You can sell it, let it or use it for family. You’ll get a written quote once the design and survey are done, and any earlier price range is a guide only.

Do you look at garage courts and yards in Brent?

Yes. Garage courts, lock-up blocks, old yards and outbuildings behind houses can sometimes take a new home, especially where a vehicle access already exists. We check who owns the access, what rights others have over it and what the ground was used for, as part of the free appraisal.

Who decides planning for a new home in a garden in Brent?

The decision is made by the London Borough of Brent, 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.

Backland development in Brent