Backland development in Islington

Selling part of your garden and building on it yourself are very different things, and owners in Islington can do either with us. Selling means you receive money for the plot and the new home belongs to someone else. Building means you keep the land, take on the cost and end up with a new home of your own.

Between those two sit options, planning promotion and joint ventures, where you share more of the outcome without managing the build yourself. A London borough like Islington can have very different plots from one street to the next, so the free garden plot appraisal is where we start. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Planning authority
London Borough of Islington
Postcodes
EC1V, N1, N1C, N5, N7
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 Islington

The classic garden plot is a long back garden with enough width beside the house for a driveway. If you have one in Islington, that’s a good starting point, but it isn’t the only kind we consider. Corner plots and wide side gardens can work well because they often face a road already. Garage courts and yards behind houses may have access in place. Even land with no obvious way in can sometimes work, if a neighbour’s garden or a shared drive can provide one.

Planning and light in Islington

Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Islington, 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 EC1V, N1, N1C and N5, 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 Islington will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Islington: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Islington: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° 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 Islington

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

Getting a first view of your plot in Islington costs nothing. Send us the address through the form, or give us a call, and we’ll check access, size, title and the planning picture from our desk. If it looks promising, we’ll visit, explain the routes that could work and put the main terms in writing before you’re asked to decide anything.

Questions about garden plots in Islington

Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Islington?

No. The garden plot appraisal is free and carries no obligation. We do a desktop check of access, size, title and the planning picture, talk it through with you and arrange a site visit if it looks viable. You can stop at any point without owing anything.

How long does a garden plot deal in Islington 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.

Do you look at garage courts and yards in Islington?

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.

Can you build a house in my back garden in Islington 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.

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.