- Planning authority
- Guildford Borough Council
- Postcodes
- GU1, GU2, GU3, GU4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 15°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
The kinds of plot we look at in Guildford
In Guildford we look at most kinds of land behind and beside houses. That includes long back gardens, the classic backland plot; wide side gardens and corner plots, which often have their own frontage; garage courts, lock-up blocks and old yards; land with narrow, shared or no access; and bungalows on large plots, which can sometimes take a second home alongside or be replaced with several new ones. Size matters, but access usually matters more, and the free appraisal checks both.
Planning and light in Guildford
Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Guildford, the noon sun on 21 December reaches only about 15° above the horizon, while by 21 March it has climbed to around 39°, when a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.2 m. On a garden plot anywhere in GU1, GU2, GU3 and GU4, 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 Guildford Borough Council will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.
What we can do in Guildford
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
If you’d like to talk it through first, call us. There’s no script and no hard sell. We’ll ask a few questions about your plot in Guildford, explain how the free appraisal works and answer what we can on the spot. If it makes sense to go further, we’ll agree the next step together; if it doesn’t, you’ve lost nothing.
Questions about garden plots in Guildford
Can I team up with my neighbours in Guildford?
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 Guildford?
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 Guildford 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 sell part of my garden in Guildford?
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 Guildford Borough Council grants permission. If planning is refused on a conditional sale, you keep your land.
How do you stop a new home in Guildford overshadowing the neighbours?
By testing the layout against the sun and the council’s guidance. At midday on 21 March the sun in Guildford is about 39° up, so a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.2 m; in December it is far lower. Spacing, roof height, orientation and single-storey designs all help keep light where it belongs.