Garden Plots and Backland Development in Hertfordshire

Nation: England
Planning authorities: 10
Towns we cover: 20
City: St Albans

Sell, partner or build in Hertfordshire

Garden land usually leads to one of two outcomes: money for a plot you don’t need, or a new home that stays in your hands. For the first, we offer direct purchase, sales subject to planning, options, planning promotion, joint ventures and help combining gardens with neighbours across Hertfordshire. For the second, our design and build route takes you from feasibility to handover, with a written quote once the design and survey are done.

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

The planning picture in Hertfordshire

Councils in Hertfordshire ask the same broad questions of any backland scheme, though each answers them through its own Local Plan. Can cars get in and out safely, without unfair disturbance to neighbours? Will the new home overlook anyone or take their light? Does it fit the pattern of the area, with enough garden left for both homes? Are trees, wildlife, parking, bins and drainage properly handled? On top of that, the design has to allow for fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). The scheme must also take account of biodiversity net gain rules.

Planning authorities: Broxbourne Borough Council, Dacorum Borough Council, East Hertfordshire District Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, St Albans City and District Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

Towns in Hertfordshire

Questions about garden plots in Hertfordshire

Can neighbours in Hertfordshire combine their gardens?

Yes. Putting two or more adjoining back gardens together can allow one shared access and a better layout than separate plots. Each owner keeps their house. The owners usually sign a collaboration agreement, with an equalisation clause so that value is shared fairly even though only one garden provides the access. Each household should take its own legal advice.

Can you build a new home in my garden in Hertfordshire for me to keep?

Yes. Through our design and build route we survey your plot, design a new home with you, apply for planning and, once permission is granted, build it. You keep the land and the new home, to sell, let or use for family. You get a written quote after design and survey, and any earlier guide price is a guide only.

Which council decides planning for a garden plot in Hertfordshire?

The council for your address decides. The planning authorities covering Hertfordshire include Broxbourne Borough Council, Dacorum Borough Council, East Hertfordshire District Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, North Hertfordshire District Council and other councils. Each judges applications against its own Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), together with its design guidance. We prepare and submit the application and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is always the council’s, never ours.

How long does planning take for a garden plot in Hertfordshire?

The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.

Backland development in Hertfordshire