- Planning authority
- London Borough of Southwark
- Postcodes
- SE5, SE15, SE16, SE17, SE22
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 15°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
The kinds of plot we look at in Southwark
Sometimes the plot that works isn’t a single garden at all. Two or three adjoining back gardens in Southwark 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 Southwark
Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Southwark, the noon sun on 21 December reaches only about 15° above the horizon, while by 21 March it has climbed to around 39°, when a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. On a garden plot anywhere in SE5, SE15, SE16 and SE17, 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 Southwark will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.
What we can do in Southwark
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
What happens next
The next step is simple. Use the form or call us with your Southwark 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 Southwark
How do you stop a new home in Southwark overshadowing the neighbours?
By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Southwark is about 39° 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 Southwark 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.
What happens if planning is refused for a plot in Southwark?
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 the London Borough of Southwark gave and tell you honestly whether a revised application, an appeal or stopping is the sensible choice. Nothing about your own house changes.
Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Southwark?
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.