Backland development in Kensington and Chelsea

Building a new home behind your own house in Kensington and Chelsea is a big decision, and the right answer isn’t always to build. For some owners, selling the plot and staying put is simplest. For others, keeping the land and adding a home to sell, let or give to family makes more sense.

We offer both kinds of route, so our advice isn’t steered towards one of them. A free garden plot appraisal looks at access, space, title, trees and the planning position with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and then we talk through which options suit your plot and your plans. There’s no charge, no pressure and nothing to sign until you’re ready, with your own solicitor beside you.

Planning authority
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Postcodes
SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10, W8
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 Kensington and Chelsea

A bungalow on a big plot gives you more choices than most homes. You might keep the bungalow and build a new home beside or behind it, or replace it with two or more homes if the council would support that. We also look at long back gardens, corner plots, garage courts, yards and land with tricky access across Kensington and Chelsea and nearby places such as Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster and Camden. The free appraisal shows which of these choices are realistic for your land, and what each would involve.

Planning and light in Kensington and Chelsea

Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Kensington and Chelsea, 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 SW3, SW5, SW7 and SW10, 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 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Kensington and Chelsea: 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 Kensington and Chelsea: 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 Kensington and Chelsea

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

The next step is simple. Use the form or call us with your Kensington and Chelsea address and, if you can, a rough idea of the garden’s length, width and how a vehicle might reach it. We’ll do a desktop check, talk it through with you and arrange a site visit if the plot looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.

Questions about garden plots in Kensington and Chelsea

How much is my garden plot in Kensington and Chelsea worth?

There’s no honest figure without looking at the plot. Value depends on location, size, access, title and planning, and costs such as a long drive or difficult ground come straight off what the land is worth. Our free appraisal looks at all of that before we talk about price.

Do you look at garage courts and yards in Kensington and Chelsea?

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.

How long does a garden plot deal in Kensington and Chelsea 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.

Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Kensington and Chelsea?

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.

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.