Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a new home in your garden in Oxford

Our garden design and build service is for Oxford owners who want to keep their land and have a new home built on it, managed from the first appraisal to handover. We cover Oxford and the places around it, and manage every stage for you.

The order of work is clear. Appraisal and survey come first, then design and the planning application, then Building Regulations, the warranty, utility applications and a written quote. Only then does construction start, in stages with inspections, ending with a handover pack you can pass to a buyer, tenant or family member.

Get a free appraisalCheck my garden
Timber-frame house under construction with scaffolding at the bottom of a back garden, seen from the patio
Planning authority
Oxford City Council
Postcodes
OX1, OX3, OX4
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Oxfordshire

What shapes a plot in Oxford

Daylight is one of the first things Oxford City Council will check on a garden house. At midday on 21 March the sun in Oxford stands roughly 38° above the horizon, so an eaves line about 5 m high casts a shadow of around 6.3 m. On 21 December the sun is only about 15° 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 Oxford: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.9 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Oxford on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

The next steps, locally

From appraisal to a decision from Oxford City Council, each step in Oxford is agreed before it starts. After the site visit we quote for survey and design; after design we prepare the application; after permission we deal with conditions and technical approvals and give you a written build quote. Each stage is a separate decision for you, with its cost set out first.

  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

  • 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.

Questions about garden plots in Oxford

Will I pay Community Infrastructure Levy on a new home in Oxford?

Only if Oxford City 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.

How close can a new house be to my own in Oxford?

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 Oxford City Council decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.

Who decides planning for a garden house in Oxford?

Oxford City Council decides applications for addresses in Oxford, using the council’s Local Plan, national policy and its own design guidance. Neighbours and consultees such as highways officers can comment, and the decision is made by the council’s planning officers or, where the rules allow, its planning committee. Pre-application advice from the council can help test a scheme before the formal application is submitted.

Can I build a house in my garden in Oxford and keep the land?

Yes. On our design and build route you remain the owner while we design the home, apply to Oxford City 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.

Other options in Oxford

Build in your garden near Oxford

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