- Planning authority
- City of York Council
- Postcodes
- YO1, YO10, YO23, YO24, YO31
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 13°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- North Yorkshire
The kinds of plot we look at in York
Not every plot we consider is a garden. Garage courts, lock-up blocks, old workshops and yards behind houses in York can sometimes take a new home, particularly where a vehicle access already exists. These sites raise their own questions, such as who owns the access, whether anyone else has rights over it and what the ground was used for before. Alongside them, we consider long back gardens, wide side gardens, corner plots and bungalows on large plots, each judged on its own access, space and planning position.
Planning and light in York
Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In York, the noon sun on 21 December reaches only about 13° above the horizon, while by 21 March it has climbed to around 36°, when a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.9 m. On a garden plot anywhere in YO1, YO10, YO23 and YO24, 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 City of York Council will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.
What we can do in York
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
- Large rear gardens
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Bungalows on large plots
What happens next
Getting a first view of your plot in York 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 York
Can you build a house in my back garden in York 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.
How much is my garden plot in York 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.
How do you stop a new home in York overshadowing the neighbours?
By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in York is about 36° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.9 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.
Do you look at garage courts and yards in York?
Yes. Garage courts, lock-up blocks, old yards and outbuildings behind houses can sometimes take a new home, especially where a vehicle access already exists. We check who owns the access, what rights others have over it and what the ground was used for, as part of the free appraisal.