- Planning authority
- London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
- Postcodes
- SW6, W6, W12, W14
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
The local picture in Hammersmith and Fulham
In Hammersmith and Fulham, applications for a new home in a garden are decided by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which weighs them against the council’s Local Plan and national policy. Officers look at access, privacy, daylight, parking, bins, drainage and how much garden is left for each house, and neighbours can comment during consultation.
We read the local policies and any design guidance before drawing a line, and check the planning history of nearby plots for decisions that show how the council has applied them. If the policy picture is uncertain, pre-application advice lets us test the scheme with officers before the formal application goes in.
The next steps, locally
Once you ask for an appraisal of your Hammersmith and Fulham 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
- Planning can be refused, and money spent on surveys, design and the application isn’t recovered if it is — which is why we start with an appraisal.
- 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.
Questions about garden plots in Hammersmith and Fulham
How close can a new house be to my own in Hammersmith and Fulham?
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 the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.
Do you visit gardens in Hammersmith and Fulham 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.
Do new homes in Hammersmith and Fulham 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.
Will I pay Community Infrastructure Levy on a new home in Hammersmith and Fulham?
Only if the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Hammersmith and Fulham
- Plot feasibility and design
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Corner and side plots

