- Planning authority
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Postcodes
- PE27
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Cambridgeshire
The local picture in St Ives
Wherever your house sits across PE27, a new home behind it needs water, power and two kinds of drainage — one for waste, one for rain. We contact the utility providers early, because a long cable run, a sewer at the wrong depth or a public pipe under the lawn can change both the layout and the cost.
Rain from the new roof and drive has to be dealt with on site, and Huntingdonshire District Council will want to see how. Where a public sewer crosses your garden, the water company may also need a build-over agreement before work starts, so we check sewer records at appraisal stage.
The next steps, locally
Once you ask for an appraisal of your St Ives 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- A build next door means months of noise, deliveries and contractors near your home; good planning reduces the disruption but doesn’t remove it.
- Your own garden gets smaller and the new home will be visible from your house, so screening and separation matter for both homes.
- You fund the build and carry the cost risk; ground conditions, sewer diversions or supply upgrades found later can move the price.
Your questions, answered for St Ives
Do you visit gardens in St Ives before giving advice?
We start with a desk review of the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy, then talk the plot through with you. If it looks viable, we arrange a site visit to see the access, levels, trees and neighbouring windows for ourselves. The appraisal is free and carries no obligation.
Can I build a house in my St Ives 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.
How close can a new house be to my own in St Ives?
There’s no single national distance. 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 the guidance used by Huntingdonshire District Council decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.
Will I pay Community Infrastructure Levy on a new home in St Ives?
Only if Huntingdonshire District Council has adopted a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule; not every council has. Where it applies, it can be charged on a new home of any size. A self-build exemption exists for people building a home to live in, but it must be claimed before work starts, so we check the position at design stage.
Other options in St Ives
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Sell part of your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots