Backland development in Accrington

If your house in Accrington 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 Accrington and nearby places such as Haslingden, Rawtenstall and Blackburn 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 Hyndburn Borough Council, so we never promise an outcome.

Planning authority
Hyndburn Borough Council
Postcodes
BB5
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Noon sun, 21 December
About 13°
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Lancashire

The kinds of plot we look at in Accrington

Land that’s hard to reach isn’t automatically a lost cause. In Accrington, as anywhere, a plot behind houses with narrow, shared or no access can sometimes be opened up by combining it with a neighbour’s garden, using an existing shared drive, or buying the strip of land that controls the way in. Ransom strips and rights of way need careful legal checks, and the council will look hard at a tandem layout where one house sits directly behind another. We’ll tell you honestly whether the access problem can be solved.

Planning and light in Accrington

Daylight is one of the first things Hyndburn Borough Council will look at on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Accrington sits about 36° 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 Accrington: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 22.0 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Accrington on 21 March sits about 36° 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 Accrington

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

What happens next

Getting a first view of your plot in Accrington 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 Accrington

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

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 Hyndburn Borough 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 I team up with my neighbours in Accrington?

Yes, and it can make a weak plot workable. Combining adjoining gardens can allow one shared access and a better layout. Each owner keeps their house, and a collaboration agreement sets out decisions, costs and how value is shared through equalisation. Every household should have its own solicitor.

Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Accrington?

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.

Who decides planning for a new home in a garden in Accrington?

The decision is made by Hyndburn Borough Council, using the council’s Local Plan, the NPPF and its own design guidance. Small schemes are usually decided by planning officers, and national and council rules set out when one can go to a planning committee instead. We prepare and submit the application and answer the council’s questions, but we can’t promise the outcome.

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.