- Planning authority
- West Northamptonshire Council
- Postcodes
- NN1, NN2, NN3, NN4, NN5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 14°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Northamptonshire
The kinds of plot we look at in Northampton
Land that’s hard to reach isn’t automatically a lost cause. In Northampton, 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 Northampton
Daylight is one of the first things West Northamptonshire Council will look at on a garden plot. At midday on 21 March the sun in Northampton sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 metres high throws a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. On 21 December the midday sun is only about 14° 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.
What we can do in Northampton
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
The next step is simple. Use the form or call us with your Northampton 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 Northampton
How do you stop a new home in Northampton overshadowing the neighbours?
By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Northampton is about 38° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.5 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.
How long does a garden plot deal in Northampton usually take?
It depends on the route. A sale of a plot that already has planning moves at the pace of the solicitors and your lender. Routes that need planning usually take many months, because of surveys, design, the council’s decision period and any amendments. Design and build usually takes well over a year in total.
Can I team up with my neighbours in Northampton?
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.
What happens if planning is refused for a plot in Northampton?
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 West Northamptonshire Council gave and tell you honestly whether a revised application, an appeal or stopping is the sensible choice. Nothing about your own house changes.