Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a new home in your garden in Ely

If you own a house in Ely with a long or wide garden, you don’t have to sell the land to benefit from it. We can design a separate new home for the plot, apply to East Cambridgeshire District Council for planning permission, and build it while you carry on living next door.

When it’s finished, the house is yours to sell, let or keep for family. As a new name in the S&K Group we don’t trade on past jobs; every project starts the same way: a free, no-obligation appraisal of your garden, then a measured survey and design, then a written quote once the real costs are known.

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Timber-frame house under construction with scaffolding at the bottom of a back garden, seen from the patio
Planning authority
East Cambridgeshire District Council
Postcodes
CB7
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.5 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cambridgeshire

Before you decide in Ely

Daylight is one of the first things East Cambridgeshire District Council will check on a garden house. At midday on 21 March the sun in Ely stands roughly 38° above the horizon, so an eaves line about 5 m high casts a shadow of around 6.5 m. On 21 December the sun is only about 14° up and shadows stretch far longer.

That’s why the gap between your house and the new one, and the height of the new roof, are set by measurement rather than guesswork. A lower eaves line, a hipped roof or a single-storey section can make a real difference to the gardens either side.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Ely: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.5 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 19.8 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Ely on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. In December the sun is only about 14° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

How we’d take it forward in Ely

Once you ask for an appraisal of your Ely garden, we start with the paperwork: the title plan, any covenants, flood maps, tree and conservation designations, and planning decisions on nearby plots. A short call follows, then a site visit if the plot passes the desk check. You get our straight view of what’s realistic and what happens next, with no obligation to go further.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We check the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy from our desk, talk the plot through with you, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.

  2. Survey and design

    A measured survey records levels, boundaries, trees and neighbouring windows. We then design a layout and house that suit the plot, the street and your budget, and decide whether pre-application advice is worth seeking.

  3. Planning and approvals

    We submit the planning application and manage it to a decision, then deal with conditions, Building Regulations approval, the structural warranty, any build-over agreement and the new utility connections.

  4. Handover

    You receive the completion certificate, warranty documents, Energy Performance Certificate, manuals and utility details, so the new home is ready to move into, let or put on the market.

Worth checking early

  • You fund the build and carry the cost risk; ground conditions, sewer diversions or supply upgrades found later can move the price.
  • Building and selling a new home can change your tax position compared with selling only your house; take advice from a tax adviser first.
  • Your own garden gets smaller and the new home will be visible from your house, so screening and separation matter for both homes.

Your questions, answered for Ely

How long does planning take for a new home in a Ely garden?

The statutory period for deciding a minor application, such as a single new home, is 8 weeks from the date the council receives a valid application, in both England and Wales. In practice many applications take longer, and the council may ask you to agree an extension in writing. Surveys and design before submission add time, and conditions may need approving afterwards.

Do new homes in Ely need a structural warranty?

If the house will ever be sold or mortgaged, in practice yes. Mortgage lenders usually expect a 10-year structural warranty on a new home, though some accept an architect’s or surveyor’s certificate, and a warranty provider inspects the work at stages during the build, so it has to be in place before construction starts. Building control approval is separate and also required; a buyer’s solicitor will ask for both.

Can I build a house in my Ely garden and then sell it?

Yes. You keep the land while the home is built, then sell the finished house. Before building starts, the plot should be given its own title through a transfer of part at HM Land Registry, and if your house is mortgaged your lender must agree to release the plot. Selling a home you’ve built can change your tax position, so take advice from a tax adviser first.

Can the new home in my Ely garden connect to the main sewer?

Usually, yes, but the route and depth decide how easily. The new home needs its own foul connection, agreed with the water company, and gravity drainage is simplest where the sewer sits lower than the new floor. If it doesn’t, a pumped connection may be needed. Where a public sewer runs under your garden, a build-over agreement or diversion may also be required.

Other options in Ely

Build in your garden near Ely

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248