Backland development in Leigh

Some gardens in Leigh are long enough, or wide enough, to take a new home without crowding the houses around them. Others aren’t, and it’s better to know which you have before spending money on drawings. That’s what our free garden plot appraisal is for.

We check the size and shape of the plot, how a car and a fire engine could reach it, what the title says, which trees are protected and what the council’s Local Plan says about garden land. Then we tell you plainly what we think. If it could work, we’ll explain the routes, from selling the plot to keeping it and having us build on it. If it can’t, we’ll say so.

Planning authority
Wigan Council
Postcodes
WN7
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Noon sun, 21 December
About 13°
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater Manchester

The kinds of plot we look at in Leigh

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 Leigh and nearby places such as Atherton, Tyldesley and Golborne. The free appraisal shows which of these choices are realistic for your land, and what each would involve.

Planning and light in Leigh

Daylight is one of the first things Wigan Council will look at on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Leigh sits about 37° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 metres high throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. On 21 December the midday sun is only about 13° up and shadows are far longer. That’s why the gap between the existing house and the new one, and the height of the new roof, matter so much. We test layouts against the council’s Local Plan and any daylight guidance it publishes before anything is submitted.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Leigh: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.5 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Leigh on 21 March sits about 37° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What we can do in Leigh

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

Getting a first view of your plot in Leigh 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 Leigh

Can you build a house in my back garden in Leigh 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 Leigh?

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 Wigan Council 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 Leigh?

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 do you stop a new home in Leigh overshadowing the neighbours?

By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Leigh is about 37° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.8 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.

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.