Backland development in Hertford

If your house in Hertford has a long back garden, a wide side plot or a row of garages behind it, there may be space for a new home. Backland Development gives you two ways to use that land. You can sell or partner on the plot and carry on living in your house, or you can keep it and have us design, get planning for and build a new home there.

Every enquiry from Hertford and nearby places such as Ware, Hoddesdon and Welwyn Garden City starts the same way: a free garden plot appraisal with no obligation. We look at the plot from a desk, talk it through with you and arrange a visit if it looks viable. Planning decisions rest with East Hertfordshire District Council, so we never promise an outcome.

Planning authority
East Hertfordshire District Council
Postcodes
SG13, SG14
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Noon sun, 21 December
About 15°
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Hertfordshire

The kinds of plot we look at in Hertford

The classic garden plot is a long back garden with enough width beside the house for a driveway. If you have one in Hertford, 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 Hertford

The rules for a new home in Hertford come from three levels. Nationally there is the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Locally, the council’s Local Plan sets the policies East Hertfordshire District Council applies, alongside its own guidance on design, parking and gardens. Then the build itself must meet the Building Regulations. That brings in practical matters such as 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), and rainwater drainage usually calls for a drainage plan the council will want to see. Any purchase of the plot falls under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We work through each level for your plot at the start, so there are fewer late surprises once the planning application is under way.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Hertford: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 19.0 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Hertford on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.4 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What we can do in Hertford

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 Hertford 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 Hertford

What happens if planning is refused for a plot in Hertford?

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 East Hertfordshire District Council gave and tell you honestly whether a revised application, an appeal or stopping is the sensible choice. Nothing about your own house changes.

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

Can I sell part of my garden in Hertford?

Often, yes, if the plot is big enough, has a workable access and stands a reasonable chance of planning. We buy suitable plots directly, with or without planning, subject to survey, title and contract, or agree a sale that only completes if East Hertfordshire District Council grants permission. If planning is refused on a conditional sale, you keep your land.

How much is my garden plot in Hertford 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.

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.