- Planning authority
- Birmingham City Council
- Postcodes
- B1, B2, B3, B4, B5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Noon sun, 21 December
- About 14°
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Midlands
The kinds of plot we look at in Birmingham
Sometimes the plot that works isn’t a single garden at all. Two or three adjoining back gardens in Birmingham can often be combined into one scheme with one shared access, giving a better layout than any of them alone. Each owner keeps their house, and a collaboration agreement with an equalisation clause shares the value fairly. If your own garden is too narrow or too short to work on its own, it’s worth asking whether the neighbours might be interested too.
Planning and light in Birmingham
Shadows tell a council a lot about a garden plot. In Birmingham, the noon sun on 21 December reaches only about 14° above the horizon, while by 21 March it has climbed to around 38°, when a 5 m eaves line casts a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. On a garden plot anywhere in B1, B2, B3 and B4, 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 Birmingham City Council will expect those effects on neighbours to be understood before they decide.
What we can do in Birmingham
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
When you’re ready, tell us about your land in Birmingham. A few photos help but aren’t essential. We’ll come back with a straight view of whether the plot could take a new home and which routes might suit you, from a sale to design and build. If it’s not a good fit, we’ll say so, and there’s nothing to pay either way.
Questions about garden plots in Birmingham
Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Birmingham?
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 Birmingham?
The decision is made by Birmingham City 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.
Can you build a house in my back garden in Birmingham 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.
Do you look at garage courts and yards in Birmingham?
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.