Backland development in Worcester

Some gardens in Worcester are long enough, or wide enough, to take a new home without crowding the houses around them. Others aren’t, and it’s better to know which you have before spending money on drawings. That’s what our free garden plot appraisal is for.

We check the size and shape of the plot, how a car and a fire engine could reach it, what the title says, which trees are protected and what the council’s Local Plan says about garden land. Then we tell you plainly what we think. If it could work, we’ll explain the routes, from selling the plot to keeping it and having us build on it. If it can’t, we’ll say so.

Planning authority
Worcester City Council
Postcodes
WR1, WR4
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Noon sun, 21 December
About 14°
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Worcestershire

The kinds of plot we look at in Worcester

Sometimes the plot that works isn’t a single garden at all. Two or three adjoining back gardens in Worcester 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 Worcester

Planning applications for new homes in gardens in Worcester are decided by Worcester City Council. Its decisions follow the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Officers usually focus on access, privacy, daylight, the character of the street and the garden left for both homes. Many councils use separation guides of around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but Worcester City Council’s own guidance decides. We prepare the application with care; the decision is always the council’s.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Worcester: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 19.5 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Worcester: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 14° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

What we can do in Worcester

Sell or partner

Design and build

By plot type

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 Worcester, 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 Worcester

How long does a garden plot deal in Worcester 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.

Is there a charge for assessing my plot in Worcester?

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.

Can you build a house in my back garden in Worcester 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.

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

The decision is made by Worcester 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.

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.