- Planning authority
- West Northamptonshire Council
- Postcodes
- NN13
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Northamptonshire
The local picture in Brackley
Wherever your house sits across NN13, 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 West Northamptonshire 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.
How we’d take it forward in Brackley
Getting started in Brackley takes one step from you: send your address and a few photos of the garden, or call us. We check the title plan, access and planning constraints from our desk, then talk the plot through. If it looks viable we arrange a visit, discuss whether you want to sell, let or keep the new home, and set out the survey and design stage in writing before you commit.
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.
Written quote and build
Once design and survey are complete you get a written quote. The build runs in stages — access and groundworks, foundations, frame and roof, fit-out and external works — with inspections at each key point.
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.
- 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.
- Building and selling a new home can change your tax position compared with selling only your house; take advice from a tax adviser first.
Questions about garden plots in Brackley
Will I pay Community Infrastructure Levy on a new home in Brackley?
Only if West Northamptonshire 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.
Can I build a house in my garden in Brackley and keep the land?
Yes. On our design and build route you remain the owner while we design the home, apply to West Northamptonshire Council for planning, deal with Building Regulations and build it. The finished house can be sold, let or kept for family. Whether your plot can take a house depends on access, space, neighbours and local policy, and the decision rests with the council.
Do you visit gardens in Brackley 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.
How close can a new house be to my own in Brackley?
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 West Northamptonshire Council decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.
Other options in Brackley
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours

